ORLANDO - True to form, John Daly never does anything the easy way.
His first swing Saturday launched a ball out of bounds, and the long-hitting Daly made two double bogeys. But Daly still managed to shoot 70 at the Bay Hill Club. Through three rounds of the Bay Hill Invitational, Daly led the field with 18 birdies, but three double bogeys kept him from being closer to the lead.
"I just keep fighting and keep plugging," Daly said. "There are a lot of birdies out here. I just have to eliminate the doubles."
Daly, who won last month's Buick Invitational, needs a strong finish today to solidify his spot among the PGA Tour's top-10 money winners. He is eighth, and the top 10 on March 29 earn an invitation to the Masters.
"I've been hitting the ball pretty solid this week," said Daly, who was tied for fifth, eight behind leader Stuart Appleby. "I like the way I'm playing. I feel comfortable and I'm enjoying myself."
Will it last one more day? Daly has a history of poor final rounds at Bay Hill. His past four: 79, 75, 87, 85.
SERGIO'S CONCERN: The March 11 train station bombing in Madrid has had a strong impact on Sergio Garcia, a native of Spain. He was at his new home in Orlando when his brother called from Spain.
"It's difficult," Garcia said. "It's my home country, and I had friends (whose safety) I didn't know about. It's a sad thing to see. You don't want it to happen to anybody. Unfortunately, there are people out there that don't care about the rest of us."
The attack killed more than 200 and injured more than 1,400, though Garcia said nobody he knows was hurt.
SHIGEKI'S ROUTINE: Japan's Shigeki Maruyama has a chronically sore upper back, and he takes great pains to fight it. Each night, Maruyama ices his neck and shoulders, takes a hot bath or shower, then reapplies the ice pack for another hour before going to bed. Maruyama started having back trouble a year ago, forcing him to miss several tournaments.
