Lancaster races into Canadian Open lead
Agencies, Markham, Ontario
Neal Lancaster shot his second straight five-under-par 67 on Saturday to grab a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Canadian Open.
Trying to end an eight-year PGA Tour victory drought, Lancaster has made just one bogey all week and collected five more birdies to push his 54-hole score to 16-under 200.
The joint overnight leader's nearest pursuer is Australia's Greg Chalmers, who shot a seven-under 65 and stands alone in second at 14-under-par.
Steve Flesch, Fiji's Vijay Singh, Justin Leonard, New Zealand's Grant Waite and 1998 Canadian Open winner and joint overnight leader Billy Andrade are all grouped at 13-under-par.
Lancaster, who last won at the 1994 GTE Byron Nelson Classic, birdied the par-four first, then added tow more birdies on the front and two on the back.
Lancaster has been the leader after 54 holes one previous time on the PGA Tour but fired a disappointing 77 in the final round of the 1996 Nissan Open to finish in 16th place.
Though Lancaster has not won this season, he has a pair of top-10 finishes and was in contention at the John Deere Classic before shooting a final-round 73 and finishing 26th.
Being in contention again, though, has been a learning experience for Lancaster.
"I'm starting to understand how hard it is to win. But then I'm also starting to understand don't have to be perfect to win. You have to play smart," Lancaster said.
"I think I could win the golf tournament if I get out and play the golf course and not play the competition."
Lancaster's stiffest competition comes from Chalmers, a left- hander who is seeking his first PGA Tour win, and playing in his first final pairing on Sunday.
Chalmers' round featured two eagles, five birdies and two bogeys.
In Maineville, Ohio, Bob Gilder shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Kroger Senior Classic, putting him in position to win consecutive senior tour events for the second time this year.
Gilder, winner of the Allianz Championship last week in Iowa, had a 13-under 131 total. First-round leader Andy North (68) and Ed Dougherty (65) followed at 12 under, and Tom Kite, with the day's low score of 64, moved into contention at 11 under.
In women's event, Annika Sorenstam shot a 4-under 66 in hot conditions Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Lorie Kane and Cristie Kerr after the second round of the Williams Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Sorenstam, seeking her seventh LPGA Tour victory of the year and ninth worldwide title, had six birdies and two bogeys as the temperature soared to 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36.11 Celsius) on the Tulsa Country Club course.
The Swede, a 38-time winner in nine season on the LPGA Tour, has had a share of the lead entering the final round 40 times, winning 23 titles and finishing second eight times.
Sorenstam birdied the 15th and 16th holes after dropping a stroke with a bogey on the par-3 14th following a tiff with caddie Terry McNamara over club selection. Sorenstam glared at McNamara on the tee after hitting short and right with a 7-iron, and flung her putter at him after missing her par putt.
"We did the same thing in the pro-am," Sorenstam said of the decision to use the 7-iron instead of a 6-iron. "So I was a little irritated. But I made birdie on the next two holes, so I forgot about that hole quickly."
Making her first start since winning the Compaq Open on Aug. 18 in Sweden, Sorenstam followed the bogey with a strong drive to 92 yards (84 meters) on the 362-yard ( 329 1/2-meter) 15th. After reaching 6 under with the birdie on the par-5 16th, she parred the final two holes.