Vicente Fernandez has come close before to winning a major senior championship. This time, the Argentine will have to beat the man threatening to become the Senior PGA Tour's next dominant player.

Bruce Fleisher birdied four of the first six holes on the way to a 6-under-par 66 today at the 60th PGA Seniors' Championship, overcoming drastically changing conditions to share the lead with Fernandez after three rounds.

"Now it looks like if it's not (Hale) Irwin or (Gil) Morgan, it's Fleisher now," said Fernandez, who joined Fleisher at 10-under 206 heading into Sunday's final round.

Spain's Jose-Maria Canizares was a shot back after carding a 68 and he was separated from the rest of the field by another three strokes. Five players were at 210.

Today's conditions produced a stark contrast after two days of hot sun at the PGA National Golf Club. The round began in warm muggy conditions before thunderstorms caused a delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Temperatures dropped at least 10 degrees by the time play resumed and the winds picked up, making play tricky down the stretch.

"It was different," said Fernandez, who bogeyed two of the final five holes. "The wind blew into us for those holes. (No.) 14 was playing long, 16 was playing long. (No.) 17 downwind is a very tough hole."

Fleisher did most of his damage before the storm rolled through, carding three birdies in five holes before play was suspended. Then he went out and birdied No. 6, a par-5, to get to 8-under for the tournament.

It was reminiscent of his performance in early February, when he stormed into his rookie season as the only player to win his first two Senior PGA Tour events. He also finished second the following week.

A bout with pneumonia then set him back, and he finished 27th two weeks ago at The Tradition.

"I felt that I lost momentum, no doubt," said Fleisher, who still leads the Senior PGA Tour money list with $546,050.

Fleisher completed his bogey-free round with birdies at the final two par-5s, draining a 5-foot putt at No. 18 to move into the tie with Fernandez.

Fleisher won only once as a member of the regular PGA Tour, the 1991 New England Classic. Now, just a couple of miles from his Palm Beach Gardens home, he admitted he's not sure how he'll react at the chance to win a major.

"I've never even thought about it," he said. "It's beyond my wildest expectations."

Fernandez has been tantalizingly close three times in his three-year senior career. He finished second by a stroke to Irwin at last year's U.S. Senior Open, and was third at last year's Tradition and the 1996 PGA Seniors Championship.

"It means a lot to win," said Fernandez, who entered today's round with a one-shot lead over Bruce Summerhays. "To win a major is a great honor."

The Buenos Aires resident appeared ready to take command after an 8-foot birdie at No. 12 dropped him to 12-under. But he missed the greens at Nos. 14 and 16 and wound up with bogeys.

"My driver was my main problem today," Fernandez said. "I missed a lot of fairways, and that put me in a position that most of the time I have to go to the middle of the green, or even missing the green with my second shots."

Irwin, needing to make up nine shots in his quest for a history-making fourth straight PGA Seniors Championship title, saw those chances evaporate with a 70 today. A bogey at No. 18 sealed the outcome.

"The chances of me passing all these players and winning are so infinitesimal that I'm not even thinking about it," said Irwin, who stood tied for 11th at 2-under 214.

Walter Hagen is the only golfer to win the same major championship four consecutive times, dominating the PGA Championship from 1924-27.