Dana Quigley takes narrow advantage

Dana Quigley shot a 7-under 64 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead going to the final round of the SBC Championship at Oak Hills Country Club.

Quigley has an 11-under total of 131 to lead Mark James, a former European Ryder Cup member and second-year player on the Champions Tour who shot a 5-under 66. Jay Haas is alone in third at 133 after a 66.

Perfect scoring conditions of warm temperatures and no wind greeted players for another day.

First-round leader John Harris was tied for the lead before taking a triple bogey on the par-4 17th. His second shot sailed over the green, hit the backside of a bunker slope and rocketed out of bounds. He finished with a 66 and is tied for fourth at 8-under with Bruce Fleisher and Don Pohl.

Quigley has been the points leader for 19 weeks in the Charles Schwab Cup, a $1 million competition that rewards yearlong consistency and performance in the major championships. He entered this week's tournament leading Hale Irwin in the Schwab standings and the money list, with only one tournament left on the 2005 schedule.

``It would mean a lot to me to win the money title,'' Quigley said. ``That's pretty important to me, but with the Schwab points tripled next week, it's all coming down to the final week.''

Quigley had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch to surge toward the lead, starting on the par-4 seventh and ending with a 15-foot birdie on the par-3 13th.

``When you make a birdie there, you feel like you're stealing one because that hole is so tough,'' Quigley said. ``I want to tidy everything up before the Charles Schwab Championship (next week), and a win here would certainly do it.''

Defending champion Mark McNulty shot a 1-over 72 and is six shots back in 15th, but said a Sunday charge is not out of reach.

``This course sets up for somebody to shoot a 62 or 64 tomorrow, and I just hope that person is me,'' McNulty said.

Fleisher made his charge up the leaderboard with a hole-in-one on the par-3 ninth. He used a 7-iron for the 163-yard shot, his second ace of the year. It highlighted a 5-under 30 on the front nine, the low nine-hole score of the day, but he was unable to capitalize on the back nine, shooting an even-par 36.

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