A three-stroke advantage with one round to play would make the leader happy, not nervous, in most tournaments.

But this is the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, the two-man, best-ball event where low scores are expected and big leads have been known to evaporate in mere minutes.

"It's not a real gift," said Hubert Green, who combined with Gil Morgan for a 5-under 67 today and a three-stroke lead after two rounds.

Green and Morgan enter the final round at 16-under 128, ahead of Jay Sigel and David Graham, who shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 13-under.

"It's scary, because we shot 11-under (Friday) and we know anyone can do that at any minute if they get it going," Green said.

The team of George Archer and Simon Hobday shot a 67 to finish the second round at 132 in this unofficial money seniors event.

They were one stroke ahead of John Mahaffey and Tom Wargo, who shot 70, and Tony Jacklin and Larry Ziegler, who finished at 67.

Another six teams came in at 10-under and all can be considered threats in the final round of a tournament in which the winning team has averaged 24-under over the last 21 years.

Yet for all the low scores over the years, today's round was punctuated by missed opportunities. It left the top two teams both feeling fortunate about their position with 18 holes to go.

"The bottom line is, we just didn't play well," Graham said. "Quite frankly, Hubert and Gil could have ran away with it. We're lucky we're only three behind."

Said Morgan: "The most surprising thing is that we didn't play very well, yet we have a three-shot lead."

Both teams scorched the front side at 8-under in perfect weather conditions on the opening day. But the breeze stayed steady for the second round and the World Golf Village Slammer and Squire Course wasn't nearly as forgiving.

It took Green and Morgan seven holes to muster their first birdie. Green sank a 5-foot putt on the par-3 hole, then celebrated by high-fiving his partner and telling the crowd how relieved he was.

"It got the monkey off our backs," Green said. "It was like a sigh of relief. We were going backwards and we felt like, my gosh, we're giving this thing away and it's not even Sunday."

He birdied No. 8 as well to push himself and Morgan to 13-under and regain the lead they lost thanks to Graham's hot putting touch early in the round.

Graham, the Australian with four career Senior PGA Tour victories, sank a 20-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 second hole, leaving Sigel to simply pick up the tee shot he had hit to six feet.

Graham followed with another birdie on No. 3, but the twosome went seven holes without another birdie and finished the day with just three.

"We messed up on the par 5s," Graham said. "We just never really got it going today."

Graham and Sigel will play in the same foursome as Green and Morgan for the third straight day Sunday. All four are seeking their first victory in the event credited with spawning the Senior PGA Tour.

"We'll play a little less conservative," Graham said. "We do have an advantage in that both Jay and I hit the ball a long way. I really think we could shoot in the 50s tomorrow."

Charles Sifford and Joe Jimenez won a two-hole playoff over two other teams to defend their title in the Demaret division, the 36-hole event for players 70 years old and over. The victory was worth $20,000 to both. The teams finished at 4-under 140.

Orville Moody and Jimmy Powell needed a three-hole playoff to defeat three other teams in the 36-hole Legendary event for golfers 60-69.

Moody and Powell won $20,000 each and enter the final round of the main event at 10-under.

DIVOTS: Green's caddie, Kenny Harms, left the course after nine holes to attend a wedding. He was replaced by a guy Green only identified as A.J. Joked Morgan, "He (Harms) said if we couldn't play any better than that, he was leaving." ... Mahaffey sank a birdie to move to 11-under on the 17th hole, but reacted like he had just missed a six-inch gimme. The reason: he and Wargo had just bogeyed the par-5 16th. ... Mahaffey is the youngest golfer in the event, having turned 50 last May. The oldest? 90-year-old Paul Runyan, who combined with Marty Furgol to shoot a 162 in the Demaret competition. ... Larry Mowry and Ken Still had an eagle on the par-4 third hole, but still finished in 23rd place at 3-under.