Christy O'Connor had just moved closer to his first victory on American soil, enduring unfamiliar heat and humidity to take a 3-shot lead over Bruce Fleisher after two rounds of the State Farm Senior Classic.

His face was flushed and his shirt was completely soaked. As he leaned back in his chair, O'Connor made it clear that he planned to spend tonight holed up in his hotel.

"I don't feel like doing the jig,'' the Irishman said. "Maybe if I win tomorrow I will.''

It would be a celebration long in the making.

Playing in temperatures that reached the mid-90s, O'Connor shot a 6-under-par 66 today to move to the brink of a victory that would enable him to gain exempt status on the Senior PGA Tour.

"I think if I break 70 I'll be tough to beat,'' he said.

O'Connor birdied the first three holes and never wilted during a bogey-free round in which his putter was as sizzling as the heat. He birdied Nos. 6 and 10 with 15-foot putts and saved par on No. 9 with, as he put it, "two fantastic putts from around the world."

O'Connor can only hope for a repeat performance Sunday in weather that is expected to be downright sweltering.

"You've got to endure whatever's out there. I wish I was a bit more used to playing in it, though,'' he said. "I don't believe I've ever played in heat like this in my life."

O'Connor has 14 birdies and one bogey for a 13-under 131 total after two trips over the 6,983-yard course at Hobbit's Glen Golf Club. He has thrived on the par-5s, sinking six birdies in eight attempts.

After starting the day with a 2-shot advantage over five players, O'Connor further distanced himself from the field by making five birdies on the first 10 holes. He followed with four straight pars before a birdie at the par-5 15th moved him 13-under.

Fleisher, the leading money winner on the Senior Tour, shot a 67 for the second straight day to remain in the hunt. Hubert Green, who began the day tied for second, completed his round of 69 with two straight birdies to go 8-under.

O'Connor rarely ventured from Europe during his prime, avoiding the PGA Tour for fear his children would be reluctant to return to Ireland. He planned to get his Senior Tour card last fall, but those plans were canceled when his 17-year-old son, Daren, was killed in a car accident.

So O'Connor is relying this year on sponsor exemptions. His best finish in five tournaments so far is a third-place tie at the Nationwide Championship.

He's in great position to top that Sunday, provided he doesn't feel too much stress over winning the one-year exemption.

"He'll probably have more pressure than I do," Fleisher said.

O'Connor agreed.

"It should be easier for him, having won already," O'Connor said. "I've won around the world but not here. ... This is my ticket. He's got his ticket, and that's a huge advantage."

Fleisher, playing in the threesome immediately ahead of O'Connor, kept the heat on with birdies at 16 and 17.

"I feel like I've got a chance now," Fleisher said. "Of course, Christy is playing well and with a lot of confidence."

Allen Doyle, Fred Gibson, Jim Albus and Hugh Baiocchi were seven strokes back at 138. Jim Thorpe shot a 67 to join a sizeable group at 139.

AP