| Las
Vegas, 17th October 1998
- Jim Furyk, trying to break a victory drought on the same golf course
where he won his first pro tournament, shot a 9-under-par 63 today to take a three-shot
lead into the final round of the Las Vegas Invitational. Furyk
had five straight birdies on the back nine to get to 21 under on a day when the
winds calmed and the leaders found the TPC Summerlin course much tamer than it
had been in gusty winds a day earlier. Mark
Calcavecchia shot a 65 and was second at 18-under 270, while Scott Verplank hit
a ball into a desert canyon flanking the 18th hole and finished with a double
bogey for a 67 that left him another stroke back. "I
control my own destiny if I can go out there and fire a good number tomorrow,"
Furyk said. "If not, a lot of guys can go out there and shoot nine under
and pass me by." Furyk,
who set a record for money won without a victory last year and has 10 top 10 finishes
this year, has not won since the Hawaiian Open in 1996. That
was the only other win besides the 1995 Las Vegas Invitational for a player who
consistently finishes in the top 10 but has been frustrated by his inability to
win over the past two seasons. "We're
all out here trying to win golf tournaments," Furyk said. "But it's
a humbling game. If I play 30 tournaments and win three times it would be a great
year. But there would be 27 tournaments I didn't win." Furyk
was tied for the lead with Verplank and Bob Tway when he started his birdie binge
after hitting a 7-iron to 10 feet on the par-4 12th. By the time he tapped in
a 3-footer for birdie on the par-5 16th, he had the lead to himself. Furyk
finished with a 30 on the back nine on a course where he has consistently fired
low scores in his career. Furyk
is seventh on the money list this year with earnings of $1.46 million, despite
not having won in 26 tournaments. "The
more times you get in contention the better your chances are to win," he
said. "The more times you knock on the door, eventually you'll get through."
Calcavecchia,
who shot a 31 on the back nine to pull into contention, said Furyk might need
a round in the mid-60s Sunday if he wants to retain his lead. "He's
well within reach, believe me," Calcavecchia said. Verplank,
whose last win was in the qualifying school to get a spot on the tour this year,
was only two back before making a double bogey on the par-4 finishing hole. It
was his second double bogey in a week that has seen him make 27 birdies. "I've
just made way too many mistakes out there" Verplank said. "There's not
that many hard holes out there." Still,
Verplank wasn't too unhappy after his 67 put him in third place in a year that
has seen him win $940,769. "This
year has been my best year ever," he said. "The only thing I haven't
done is win a tournament." Tway,
who had a two-shot lead after three rounds of the 90-hole tournament, was seven
shots back after an even-par 72 that included a double bogey when he hit a ball
into the water on 16. Divots:
Bob May, who lives a half-mile from the course, shot a 67 and was 15 under in
his first PGA tournament of the year. May has been playing on the European tour.
... Chip Beck will get his second check of the season after missing the cut in
46 straight tournaments before last month. He shot a 69 today and was at six under.
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