Hal Sutton's two-shot lead heading into the final round of the Shell Houston Open wasn't a reason for him to rest on his laurels.

"There's a lot of good players right there behind me," Sutton said today after birdies on the last two holes allowed him to pull away from Joey Sindelar, who had shared the second-round lead with him. "I'll probably be fairly aggressive."

So will Sindelar, winless on the PGA Tour since 1990.

"I'm still in a good position," Sindelar said. "The battle will be filled with a lot of people, but I'm thrilled to be in the last group.''

Sutton is looking for his first victory of the year after two wins in 1998. His best showing so far this year has been a fourth-place finish.

"I think probably the best thing about what I'm doing right now is I'm not allowing myself to be paralyzed by a mistake," he said. "I'm doing a good job of putting that behind me."

Sutton survived swirling winds and fast, dry greens by closing his 3-under-par 69 with the consecutive birdies to complete 54 holes at 11-under-par 205.

Clarence Rose, who started the third round at even par, had the low round of the event today, an 8-under 64 that was two shots off the tournament record and his best round in 14 years. It put him in third place at 208 along with Loren Roberts, Frank Lickliter and Stuart Appleby.

Brian Watts and Mark Wiebe were another shot back, while Steve Elkington, Scott Hoch and Vijay Singh were in a large group at 210.

"I didn't have any goals when I teed off this morning,'' said Rose, who has one victory, in 1996, and finished 142nd on the money list last year. He's entered five events this year and this was his first cut.

"I just wanted to play well," he said after playing the entire round with the same ball. "I think it had eyes and so I wasn't going to change it.''

At this tournament last year, David Duval, currently the world's top-ranked player, won by making up five shots over the final seven holes. But Duval, who was three shots back heading into today's round, soared to a 78 and a 1-over 217 total.

Sutton started the third round tied for the lead with Sindelar at 8-under 136 and both birdied the opening hole. Sutton rolled in a birdie putt on the par-4 17th to take the lead when Sindelar, his playing partner, made a bogey. He added to his lead with a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

Sindelar gave up a stroke with a bogey at the par-5 6th. With Sutton unable to make a move, he took over the lead at 10-under with a birdie at No. 11, but his approach shot to the island green on the par-5 13th went in the water and he salvaged a bogey to slip back into a tie.

He went back in front with a birdie on No. 15, but then came the two-shot swing on 17.

Sindelar averted the water on No. 17 when his shot cozied up to a board that forms a wall to a lake. Standing on a plank, his chip was just short of the green and his putt rimmed out.

Sutton got to 11-under with birdies on Nos. 4 and 5. But then it was up and down the rest of the frontside, with three bogeys and a birdie.

He reeled off seven straight pars before finishing with his birdie flourish, but expects no carryover to Sunday.

"It's the end of the day," he said, saying there would be no momentum. "So I'm going to go out there and I'm going to do the best I can. I'm going to put my hook in the water. I'm going to try to catch fish."

DIVOTS: Former President George Bush, who also lives in Houston, was among the spectators today. ... Omar Uresti made an eagle on par-5 13th, clearing water and hitting the cup on the island green from 79 yards away. He's at 6-under 210. ... Duval, who never contended today, had a double bogey on the par-4 7th, then had an 8 on the par-5 13th. ... Only four players -- Rose, Elkington, Hoch and Jonathan Kaye -- escaped the third round without a bogey.