Woods six back at Bay Hill Classic
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Sports Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Just about every time Omar Uresti passed
one of the six white leader boards stationed around the golf course,
he found someone else leading the Bay Hill Invitational.
By the end of a wild and windy Saturday at the Bay Hill Club,
he was in the lead alone.
Staying there could be another matter.
Uresti birdied the last two holes and shot a 3-under-par 69
to lead by one stroke after three rounds on a course that played
harder and faster as the winds dried up the greens.
"I'm still try to take it in," said Uresti, who finished
at 11-under 205. "I hope I'll be able to calm down a little
and get after it tomorrow."
If he doesn't, he could find plenty of players ready to pass
him by - 18 players were within five shots of the lead.
Right behind is Mark O'Meara, who already has won twice this
year and leads the money list. He shot a 68, and is joined at
10-under 206 by Honda Classic winner Stuart Appleby and Tim Herron,
who won the Honda a year ago.
"I've had experience playing in the lead," O'Meara
said. "I also realize the ball doesn't always bounce your
way."
Phil Mickelson and Loren Roberts, a two-time winner at Bay
Hill, were another stroke back. Davis Love III was in the group
at 208, Colin Montgomerie and Payne Stewart were among those at
209, and Tiger Woods was at 6-under 210.
All of them will be chasing Uresti, a 28-year-old Texan who
had to hole a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the Disney
Classic in October just to keep his playing card.
Uresti held his own most of the day while playing in the final
group on the weekend for the first time on the PGA Tour.
"Today was pretty relaxing," Uresti said.
He twice responded to a bogey with a birdie to stay in the
hunt, then made birdies on three of the last four holes, including
a 6-iron to within 4 feet for birdie on No. 18 and the outright
lead.
O'Meara is having his best tournament on the Florida swing,
and it could have been better. After making bogey on the first
hole, he posted seven birdies and took the lead alone at 11-under
with a two-putt birdie from 22 feet on the par-5 16th.
But his 7-iron from 174 yards found the water guarding the
green, and he had to hole an 8-footer to save bogey.
"I knew the course was going to play tougher," O'Meara
said. "It was a little bit more like Bay Hill. I just tried
to manage myself."
And he did just fine until the 18th, where the pin was cut
more toward the center of the green, bringing the water into play.
"I hit a poor shot, the wind kind of rode it to the right
... splash," O'Meara said. "It wasn't the greatest ending,
but it's not the first time I've been in the water on 18."
It wasn't anything like the way Herron finished off his 66,
the best round of the day.
Herron hit a 4-iron to within 15 feet and "wiggled it
in" for an eagle at No. 16 to get to 9-under. Then he caught
the leaders with a 6-iron from 172 yards that checked up an inch
behind the hole on No. 18 for birdie.
"Today you figured if you shoot under par you're going
to move up," Herron said. "I was 3-under going to 16,
thinking I was hanging in there. Then boom!"
Skip Kendall, the leader after two rounds, never had a chance
to hang around. He bogeyed the first three holes and finished
with a 79.
DIVOTS: Arnold Palmer, 14 over for the tournament, decided
against returning to the course to complete the last three holes
of his second round Saturday morning. Spokesman Doc Giffin said
Palmer felt tired and didn't see the need to push it. Still, Palmer
remains upbeat about coming back from prostate cancer surgery.
"I'd feel better if I was hitting the ball," he said.
"But at least I'm still looking down at the grass."
... Tom Lehman had a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 17 when play was
suspended Friday evening. At 1-over-par, he drained the birdie
putt Saturday morning - then hit his approach at the 18th in the
rocks for a bogey and missed the cut by one stroke. ... Ernie
Els missed the cut for the third time in four weeks. ... Bay Hill
Club, which usually doesn't carry Nike merchandise, had all but
sold out of its 1,200 swoosh hats and most of its shirts after
the second round.
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