Kemper Open

Beem hangs in to tie for lead wth Armour

Rookie Rich Beem was both brilliant and bad in a par round of 71 today as he shared the third-round lead with Tommy Armour III at the Kemper Open.

On a day of blown chances when no one could seize momentum and hold it, second-round leader Beem worked his way to 11-under for the tournament before a calamitous back nine left him with a 9-under 204 total. He lost the lead to Armour before making a birdie putt at No. 18 to tie it, and he celebrated by pumping his fists.

While Beem was erratic, Armour shot a steady 68 and was bogey-free until he got his first lead. Armour, whose only PGA Tour victory came at the Phoenix Open in 1990, dropped a shot at the 16th, but got it back with a birdie at the par-3 17th.

Two-time Kemper Open champion Bill Glasson, continuing his comeback from serious elbow surgeries, shot a 69 and was two shots off the lead under baking sunshine at the TPC at Avenel course.

Emlyn Aubrey, seeking his first tour win, was 7-under for the day until he bogeyed the last two holes for a 66, placing him three back.

Playing his first round under the full glare of large galleries and camera, Beem hit wayward tee shots to the left on each of the first three holes -- bogeying Nos. 2 and 3 -- but then he steadied himself to birdie the next three holes with putts of 25, 14 and 7 feet. He also birdied No. 10.

Then, in his first hole on live network television, the 28-year-old El Paso, Texas, resident, who spent last year playing minor events in New Mexico and west Texas, put his second shot in the creek at No. 12. He got a double bogey, and also bogeyed No. 15 after two shots in the rough.

Armour's best finish this year is a tie for third at the Doral-Ryder Open, and he's had some modest success at the Kemper. He has three top-10 finishes, although he's missed the cut six of 11 times.

Eric Booker is the only other rookie to have at least a share of the lead of a tournament after three rounds this year. Booker topped the field at the Honda Classic on a Saturday, but shot a 77 the next day to finish tied for third.