Justin Leonard extends lead to eight shots

Justin Leonard isn't trying to blow out the rest of the field. It just looks that way.

Leonard played conservatively and still shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday in the St. Jude Classic to extend his lead to eight strokes, the largest 54-hole advantage on the PGA Tour this year.

``It's nice to have a lead certainly a lead this big,'' Leonard said. ``Today I just wanted to go out and play solid. I was able to do that and avoid making any mistakes, made a couple putts along the way.''

The largest 54-hole lead previously on tour had been seven strokes, by Phil Mickelson at Pebble Beach and last week by Kenny Perry at Colonial. Both went on to win. In fact, this is the 13th time someone has had a 54-hole lead of eight strokes or higher since 1970, and all went on to win.

Leonard, who began the third round with a five-stroke lead, had four birdies in his bogey-free round to reach 17-under 193.

Now the Texan, who won the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January for his ninth tour title, only has to avoid hurting himself to join Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Mickelson and Perry as multiple winners on the tour this year.

Leonard pointed out he chose a 3-wood instead of driver on No. 10 and Nos. 17 and 18 to avoid trouble. He also hit to the left fringe on the toughest hole on the course, the par-3 14th, to stay away from the water along the front of the green.

``I plan to continue to do that. If I get a short iron in my hand and it's a short yardage, I might go hit at a flag. I haven't been hitting it at the hole, every hole, all week. That's for sure,'' Leonard said.

Heath Slocum (67) led the group playing for second at 9 under. Tom Pernice (68) was 8 under, and Davis Love III (68), Fred Funk (66) and Paul Goydos (70) were another stroke back.

``We all have our work cut out,'' Slocum said. ``It's pretty incredible what he's done and continues to do all week.''

Nobody in tour history has blown a seven-stroke lead, and Leonard has been on cruise control since opening with a 62 that was his lowest round since 2003. He has had only one bogey through the first three rounds and was one of only two golfers to go bogey-free Saturday along with Funk.

Slocum said all hope isn't gone because the course record here is 61. Now all someone needs to do is go out and shoot that -- and hope that Leonard makes a couple mistakes.

``It is hard to expect anything less than him playing a good solid round. All I can do tomorrow is go out and play the golf course the only way I can play it,'' Slocum said.

Leonard, who ranks 140th on the tour in driving distance at 278.6 yards, was an example of precision Saturday, hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation. He needed 28 putts, his most this week, but only because he left himself short par saves.

Whenever it looked like somebody might start making a charge, Leonard simply added another birdie.

He notched his first birdie on the par-5 third when he chipped to 4 feet and then putted in, and he used his putter again for an 19-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth for his largest lead of the tournament at seven strokes.

Leonard just kept adding to it.

He rolled his tee shot just by the edge of the par-3 11th hole that ranked as the tour's hardest par 3 in 2004 and tapped in for 16 under and an eight-stroke lead.

Even when he hit his approach into a greenside bunker on the par-5 16th, Leonard blasted out within 14 feet and hit a putt that rolled around the edge of the cup before falling in for birdie. He smiled as if he knew he couldn't mess up, but he said it was actually a bit of relief.

``I almost made myself dizzy with that little U-turn,'' Leonard said.

Leonard has never led a tournament wire-to-wire and won before. In the 48-year history of this tournament now sponsored by FedEx, only Bob Estes (2001) and Dave Hill (1967) have done that.

With his wife and two daughters in town with him, Leonard said he didn't plan anything different Saturday night. Dinner, baths for the girls, then quiet time for himself and the wife who thankfully convinced him to play this week.

Divots

Leonard's eight-stroke lead is the largest on tour since Tiger Woods' 10-stroke lead in the 2000 U.S. Open. ... Goydos has needed only 68 putts through 54 holes and has one-putted 40 times this week. The tour record for fewest putts in a 72-hole event is 92 by David Frost in the 2005 MCI Heritage. ... Two-time defending champion David Toms shot a 65 in the third round for the fourth straight year here. He was tied for seventh at 6 under.

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