| San
Antonio, Texas, 26th September 1998
- Hal Sutton wasn't too excited over his one-stroke lead after three
rounds of the Texas Open. "We've
got a pause in play, and I've temporarily got the lead," Sutton said. "With
everybody being close to the lead, it's going to take a good low score out of
me." Sutton
birdied the final hole today with a 10-foot putt to cap a 5-under-par 67 and take
his narrow lead over three golfers heading into the final round at the LaCantera
Golf Club. Justin
Leonard, a co-leader with John Maginnes entering the third round, was tied at
13-under 203 with Scott Gump and former Texas Open champion Jay Haas. Leonard
recovered from a bogey on No. 12 to shoot a 69, while Haas shot a season-low 64
and Gump had a 65. Brad Fabel, who had a 70, and Mike Small, 68, were two strokes
behind Sutton. The
winner of the $1.7 million tournament, sponsored by Westin, receives $306,000.
Sutton, who last won the PGA Tour at the 1995 B.C. Open, was very aware of 12
players being with four strokes of the lead and in position to possibly collect
the top prize. "These
guys know what they're doing," he said. "A lot of guys in this field
are hungry for a win besides Hal Sutton." Sutton,
who began the day nine under, birdied Nos. 5, 7 and 9. His next birdie came on
the par-5 14th, where he two-putted from about 20 feet. He
bogeyed the 15th when he misread the green as his putt from about 15 feet rolled
10 feet past the hole. But Sutton regained his momentum on the par-4 16th by making
a 25-footer and sealed his lead on the par-4 18th with the 10-footer. "The
last three putts I made were real big putts," he said. Leonard,
currently No. 8 on the money list with $1,278,963 and the highest-ranking player
in the Texas Open, made only one birdie on the front nine, the par-5 5th. He
birdied No. 10, then got briefly discouraged after the bogey 5 on the 12th. "I
tried to stay patient," Leonard said. "I finished pretty well."
Leonard birdied
14 and 15 with putts of 3 and 10 feet, respectively, and managed to par the final
two holes despite being in the rough both times. "I
played OK," Leonard said. "I didn't play quite as good as I have the
last couple of days. I missed a few fairways, a couple of greens. But I made some
really good chip shots." Maginnes,
paired with Leonard, shot a 73 and was four strokes off the lead. He usually plays
on the Nike Tour and is entered in the Texas Open with a sponsor's exemption.
The players
again battled hot, muggy conditions with afternoon temperatures reaching the mid-90s.
DIVOTS:
Leonard, of Dallas, isn't the only Texas resident faring well in the tournament.
David Frost and Tommy Armour, both of Dallas, Bob Estes, of Austin, and David
Ogrin, of Garden Ridge, a suburb of San Antonio, all are within six strokes of
the lead or closer. Blaine McCallister, a native of Fort Stockton, was eight under
after the round. ... Loren Roberts had no bogeys in the tournament entering the
third round, but he had two on the front nine and a double-bogey on No. 17 to
end up at 10 under on Saturday. ... Frank Lickliter says he experienced some letdown
after tying for fourth at the PGA Championship in August, missing the cut in three
tournaments. But Lickliter had a 10-under-par 206 total after the third round
of the Texas Open. "Hopefully within striking distance," he said.
| 
