Rod Pampling pulls four shots clear - Bay Hill Invitational 2006

A couple of yards were all the difference between a tight leaderboard at the Bay Hill Invitational and Rod Pampling taking charge with a four-shot lead Saturday.

From the first cut of rough on the left side of the fairway, Pampling took on the flag and cleared the water by about two paces to set up a 3-foot birdie putt and complete a solid round of 5-under 67, leaving him in great position to capture his second PGA Tour title.

A ball in the water could have led to double bogey.

Instead, Pampling wound up at 14-under 202, giving him a large cushion in the final round against Lucas Glover (72), Greg Owen (67) and Darren Clarke, who tied three tournament records on his way to a 63.

Pampling, a 36-year-old from Australia, took the lead with a birdie on the par-5 sixth and spent the rest of the warm, sunny afternoon at Bay Hill Club trying to keep his position.

Clarke emerging as one of the challengers was a pleasant surprise.

Golf is no longer a priority for 37-year-old from Northern Ireland, whose wife is losing a long battle with cancer. He plays when he can, which has not been much this year, and never knows what to expect.

Toward the bottom of the pack when he began the third round, Clarke tied tournament records for six straight birdies, a 30 on the back nine and his 9-under 63, which matched the best score at Bay Hill since it converted to a par 72 in 1989. Where he goes from there is of little concern.

His wife, Heather, was first diagnosed with breast cancer, and it has spread throughout her body. She was thought to be near death last May, but continues to fight.

"She's having a pretty tough battle at the minute," Clarke said. "She had a couple of weeks of very intensive treatment two weeks ago for another situation, so she's had a very tough time. But she's battling hard."

She wants him to play instead of sitting around the house, but it has taken its toll.

Clarke has played only five times this year, with his best finish a tie for seventh in Dubai. He lost in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship, then withdrew after a 75 in the first round of Doral with a wrist problem.

"As you can see from my results, it's affecting me quite a bit, which is normal. It's bound to," Clarke said. "My golf is not really at the top of my list. But at the same time, I'm not just going out to make up a number. I want to try and compete. It's tough when the numbers aren't coming that I want to shoot.

"It's especially good to do that today."

He might have been even closer to the lead except for Pampling's strong play at the end of the round.

After dropping his only shot of the round on the 15th, Pampling's tee shot on the par-5 16th flirted with the trees and bunker down the right side until drawing just enough to hop out of the first cut and into the fairway, setting up a birdie. Pampling saved par with a nifty chip behind the 17th green, then kept everyone in suspense with his approach on the 18th.

The safe shot is to the left side of the green, or at least well behind the hole. Pampling's shot was on line with the flag, just reached the green and didn't stop rolling until it was 3 feet away.

Now, an audience with tournament host Arnold Palmer on Sunday afternoon is up to him.