Golf

Irwin close to milestone win

By wire services
Published July 10, 2005

DEARBORN, Mich. - Hale Irwin has plenty of company on the leaderboard, and he has his competitors right where he wants them.

Irwin moved closer to his 11th career major victory, shooting a third straight 4-under 68 Saturday for a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Senior Players Championship.

Irwin has won seven senior majors and three U.S. Opens. His last major was the Senior PGA last year, and he can tie Jack Nicklaus' record for senior majors with a win.

He has won 28 of 37 events on the 50-and-over tour when he led or shared the lead entering the final round.

Still dominant more than a month after turning 60, Irwin moved to 12-under, a stroke ahead of Dana Quigley (72), Gil Morgan (67) and Tom McKnight (70). Don Pooley (65) was two shots back.

Irwin insisted he didn't pay attention to the leaderboard during the third round.

"I don't know if I'm in the lead," Irwin said. "You tell me."

Irwin, the Champions Tour's career money leader, has eight top-10s in the past 10 Senior Players tournaments, and he matched the course record of 21 under when he won in 1999.

"You have the big man with the lead, maybe he'll get nervous with me and McKnight behind him," Quigley said, joking.

PGA TOUR: J.L. Lewis has the lead, and the attention, to himself.

Lewis shot 69, extending his lead to three strokes at 15-under 198 after three rounds at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill.

Hank Kuehne (67), Richard S. Johnson (68) and Craig Bowden (68) were 12 under on the TPC at Deere Run course.

"I don't know if I've ever won from the front on a tour event," said Lewis, who won a playoff in this event in 1999 at Oakwood Country Club and came from seven shots back to win the 84 Lumber Classic in 2003.

"I don't really consider it a lead because if you go out there and you don't play well, they're going to blow right by you," he said.

Lewis led after the second round too, but few noticed amid the Michelle Wie mania. The 15-year-old nearly became the first female in 60 years to make a cut on the PGA Tour, but she faltered on the last four holes and missed by two strokes.

In the third round, Lewis made a 30-footer for birdie on the par-3 seventh, and a 41-footer on No. 15.

LPGA TOUR: After 11 pars in a row, Hee-Won Han birdied two of the final three holes and shot 5-under 66 for a two-stroke lead through three rounds of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.

Han, who started a shot behind Beth Daniel, was at 202.

Han led fellow South Korean Jeong Jang, who shot 67 to reach 9 under. Defending champion Meg Mallon and 50-year-old Marilyn Lovander - winless in 180 career LPGA Tour starts - were 8 under after 68s.

Daniel, 48, had double bogey on the last hole for 73. Trying to break her mark as the oldest player to win an LPGA event, she was at 208.

SCOTTISH OPEN: South Africa's Tim Clark shot 65 for a share of the third-round lead with Dutchman Maarten Lafeber at the Loch Lomond course in Luss. Scotland's Alastair Forsythe (67) and Argentina's Angel Cabrera (68) were one shot back. Ernie Els (67) was five back, and Phil Mickelson (71) was 12 out.

ELSEWHERE: Jenny Gleason of Clearwater was tied for fourth after one round of the Futures Tour event in Bloomfield, Conn., at 72. Kelly Lagedrost of Brooksville and USF was tied for 18th at 74. Seul Ki Kim (70) led by one. Friday's round was rained out and the tournament was shortened to 36 holes. ... Dan Olsen shot 5-under 67 to take the lead at 202 after three rounds in the Nationwide Tour's Pete Dye Classic in Bridgeport, W. Va. Jason Gore, who contended at the U.S. Open until the final round, was a stroke back along with Kim Felton, sho shot 65. Former Florida player Chris Couch was tied for fifth, three strokes out.

[Last modified July 9, 2005, 23:35:17]