Stephen Ames
shot a 5-under 67 today and his 16-under total kept him in the lead of the Texas
Open for the third straight round although 12 players were within five strokes.
Duffy Waldorf shot a 65
and Ted Tryba had a 66 as they shared second place, two strokes behind Ames.
Ames entered the third
round with a one-stroke lead over Sandy Lyle, Jeff Brehaut and Brian Henninger.
Ames avoided some of the
pitfalls he encountered the first two days and didn't have a bogey Saturday. He
birdied the first hole with a 10-foot putt and made two more birdies before the
turn to move to 14 under. His other birdies came on Nos. 10 and 14, the two par-5s
on the back nine at La Cantera Golf Club.
"It
was a little easier today, without a doubt," Ames said. "I'm quite looking forward
to tomorrow."
The
$2 million tournament, sponsored by Westin, has a first prize of $360,000.
Ames, a native of Trinidad
who lives in Canada, is looking for his first PGA Tour victory.
To get there he will have to outlast a cluster of players on his heels. Rich Beem
was at 13 under, while Brent Geiberger, David Edwards and Henninger were another
stroke back. Mike Reid and Brehaut were lurking at 11 under par.
Lyle had trouble getting much going and ended the round at 9 under.
Waldorf made one of the biggest moves of the day. He had five birdies on the front
nine, including one on No. 2 with a 40-foot putt. He had three birdies and one
bogey - on the par-4 15th - after the turn.
Waldorf won Texas Open in 1995, the first year the tournament was held at La Cantera.
He won the Buick Classic in June and currently is 49th on the money list.
Once again, the Ryder Cup
dominated conversations at the Texas Open. Players and spectators tracked the
matches between players from the United States and Europe in Brookline, Mass.,
through frequent postings on the tournament's leaderboards.
"I
pay a lot of attention to it," Tryba said. "It's a big deal. If you weren't paying
attention to it, I think you'd be a mummy."
