MCI Classic
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island
South Carolina
16th - 19th April 1998

Par 71 Prize Money $1.9 million

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Love takes lead as he looks for record-setting fourth MCI Classic title

Hilton Head Island, S.C. 18th April 1998 -   Will all past MCI Classic champions please step forward?

Davis Love III, Payne Stewart, Nick Price, Doug Tewell have combined to win seven MCI Classic titles and a major share of the headlines in this year's tournament.

Love, a three-time champion, shot 66 and took a two-shot lead over Phil Mickelson after today's third round. Stewart, twice an MCI winner, fired a 64, the tournament's low score, and was three shots back.

Price, the defending champion, and Tewell, who won at Harbour Town Golf Links in 1980, were five shots behind heading into Sunday.

"It's nice to know that I've put four good rounds together here," said Love, who was at 12-under 201. "But tomorrow is a big day because it's the last round, not because of anything in the past."

A look at the leaders shows that past winners have a big-time edge in mastering Harbour Town.

Love, at 23, was the MCI's youngest champion when he won his first PGA Tour event here in 1987. He won in 1991 and 1992, joining Stewart as the tournament's only repeat winners.

Price had shot an MCI-record nine straight sub-70 rounds before his 70 today, and Tewell's touch here hasn't disappeared at age 48.

Hale Irwin, the only man with as many plaid MCI champions coats as Love, won here in 1994 less than two months from his 49th birthday.

"When you get comfortable on a set of greens like you can here, you can put up some good rounds," Love said.

Stewart, who birdied seven holes to get himself into contention, says the greens are so small here that if you hit them, you're in good shape for birdie.

Mickelson, six shots off the lead when the round began, tied a tournament record with a front-side 30 and was at 10-under 203 after a 65.

Love began three shots in back of Jay Haas, a South Carolinia resident who for two rounds captivated the crowds here with solid shots and stories of how he met his wife at Harbour Town 21 years ago.

But while Love rattled flagsticks and surged up the leaderboard, Haas's love affair with the course apparently faded as he shot a 76 and was eight strokes behind.

Love's eagle on No. 5 moved him into a tie at 10-under with Mickelson, and birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 put him in front. Love added a birdie on 16.

"I would say he (Love) has a huge advantage," Mickelson said. "He's won the thing three times, he contends year in and year out. He just plays this golf course so well."

For a stretch, no one played it better than Mickelson, who birdied six out of seven holes on the front nine. He was so hot, fans along the eighth hole started chanting "59, 59."

"I had six birdies here. Getting 12 at this course is a little too much," Mickelson said.

Mickelson was two back of Fred Couples in The Masters after three rounds last week, but shot a closing 74 to fall out of contention. His run here almost ended on the back nine.

He bogeyed No. 13 and dumped his tee shot into the water on the par-3 14th for double bogey. He followed with two straight birdies and was back at 10-under.

Stewart twice left putts short on the final three holes that could have tied Mickelson.

On No. 16, Stewart rolled a 40-foot putt to the lip of the cup, dropping his putter and urging the ball to fall in. He came up a roll short of birdie on the 18th as well, and talked enthusiastically about his game.

"Last year, I wasn't fired up and thrilled about playing golf. It just didn't interest me that much," said Stewart, who was eighth in the Nissan Open seven weeks ago and fourth in The Players Championship three weeks ago. "This year, I'm excited. My goal is to keep that attitude all year long."

Haas could not keep up the shotmaking in the third round. He made bogeys on four of five holes on the front nine, and eight for the round.

Len Mattiace shot a 69 and was at 8-under.

John Huston, Joey Sindelar and Glen Day joined Tewell and Price at 7-under.