| Oakville,
Ontario, 12th September 1998
- Bob Friend didn't flinch when he made bogey on two
of the first three holes, and he didn't celebrate when Billy Andrade's mistake
on the 18th hole gave him the third-round lead today at the Bell Canadian Open.
The way Friend
has been playing this week, it's a wonder he even noticed. Secure
about his game and oblivious to what's going on around him, Friend closed with
birdies on three of the last five holes for a 4-under-par 68, giving him a two-stroke
lead going into the final round at the Glen Abbey Golf Club. "I
was just trying to do the same thing I did my first two days, which worked out
pretty good,'' said Friend, who is at 12-under 204. The
plan is simple: Pick out a target and pull the trigger. At the end of the round,
add up the strokes and see where you stand. So
far, so good. The
three-shot swing at the the 508-yard, par-5 closing hole -- Andrade made double
bogey and Friend got up and down for birdie -- means the 34-year-old will take
a lead into the final round for the first time in three years on tour and 71 tournaments.
"If I can
continue to be relaxed and not get ahead of myself, there won't be any nerves
-- just a target,'' Friend said. Andrade
hit his drive into the fairway bunker on the 18th and had to play a low punch
under a tree. He had 158 yards to the hole, but caught his 9-iron thin and grimaced
as it caromed off the rocks and into the water. "I'm
not going to let one hole screw this up,'' said Andrade, who had to settle for
a 3-under 69 for a 206 total. "I'm not leading the golf tournament, but I
didn't shoot myself out of it. And I'm going to go out there tomorrow fired up.''
Hal Sutton,
who could sneak into the top 30 on the money list with a victory, shot a 67 and
was alone in third at 207. Mike Hulbert was another stroke back, while the group
at 209 included Glen Day, who shot a tournament-low 64 in still, soft conditions
at the Glen Abbey Golf Club. "I'm
a lot better off than when the day started,'' Day said. But
he still has some catching up to do. Everyone else might be in the same boat if
Friend can stay relaxed for 18 more holes. "He
played a great round. He's tough,'' said Andrade, a two-time winner on tour but
not since 1991. The
son of ex-Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bob Friend had ample opportunity to stumble
today, but he never strayed from his plan of taking it one shot at a time and
adding the strokes up at the end of the day. He
made an eagle on No. 5 and stayed in front by holing a 40-foot par putt on No.
9. Friend was so impervious to his surroundings that he didn't even realize what
kind of run Andrade made until he paused after the 15th hole to fill out Andrade's
scorecard. Andrade
birdied the 11th, hit a 6-iron to 4 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th and then
played a 5-iron off the ridge to 4 feet for eagle on No. 13. "That
was a nice stretch,'' Friend said. It
also gave Andrade a two-stroke lead, but Friend stayed right on his heels by making
a 25-footer for birdie on No. 14, the toughest hole at Glen Abbey. "My
round kind of evolved,'' Friend said. "I was just trying to do the same thing
I did the first two days, which worked out pretty good.'' After
two days of brittle conditions and wind gusts of 25 mph, the Abbey showed a different
face in the third round. Morning sprinkles, cloud cover and barely a breeze caused
the scoring average to drop by nearly two strokes. Of the 75 players who made
the cut, 47 broke par. Joey
Sindelar finished off his 65 that put him at 7-under 209, looked back over the
lifeless course where Andrade and Friend were must making the turn, and realized
he had a lot more work to do. "This
is playing too easy,'' he said. "You haven't seen anything near the lead
yet.'' Day's
64 featured a chip-in for eagle on No. 5, two birdie putts over 25 feet and only
22 putts in all. More
tame conditions are in store for Sunday, which could turn into a shootout. Still,
only eight players are within six strokes of the lead and none of them have experienced
winning lately. Andrade
and Hulbert haven't won since 1991. Sindelar's last victory was in 1990. Sutton,
the 1983 PGA champion, last won in 1995, and it's been 10 years for Scott Verplank,
who's at 210 with Mike Small. "On
any given Sunday, anything can happen,'' Andrade said. "Guys you've never
heard of can come out and win. Or the leader can go out and tear it up.'' Friend
wouldn't mind that scenario at all. DIVOTS:
Bob Friend's parents came up to the Toronto area to watch him play, but his mother
Patricia sprained her ankle when she tripped on a bridge in the first round and
has been watching from the clubhouse. "There won't be a lawsuit,'' Friend
cracked. ... Friend's father gave up Pete Rose's first major-league hit in 1963,
a triple. ... Ashley Chinner birdied four of the last six holes for a 66 that
left him at 4-under 212 and was the low Canadian going into the final round. A
Canadian hasn't won this tournament since Pat Fletcher in 1954. ... Sandy Lyle
birdied seven of the first 10 holes, but then played the last eight holes one
over for a 66 that left him at 211. The former Masters and British Open champion
is 176th on the PGA Tour money list. | 
