Golf Roundup : Curses! Garbacz Loses Her Lead--and $3,500

Amy Alcott, patient and unperturbed, stormed past a tempestuous Lori Garbacz to take the third-round lead Saturday in the $300,000 LPGA National Pro-Amateur at Denver.

Garbacz, the second-round leader, had moved into a commanding six-stroke lead midway through Saturday’s round, but she frittered away her advantage in what amounted to an eight-shot swing over the final eight holes.

Alcott finished with a two-under-par 70 for a total of 210. Garbacz, with nines of 32 and 41, was at 212.

Not only is Garbacz out of the lead, she is also out $3,500, the amount she was fined for uttering an obscenity into a live television microphone during her round. The fine is the largest in LPGA history.

Ted Haracz, director of communications for the LPGA, said Garbacz committed a major violation of the LPGA’s rules and constitution, and was fined for actions the tour considered “intolerable.”

After a double-bogey on the 16th hole, which dropped her from the lead, Garbacz was approached by a television cameraman, whom she cursed as she told him to remove his camera.

Garbacz, who left the course after her round without talking to the media, later contacted the press tent by telephone and apologized for her “unprofessional behavior.”

She said she was “upset with myself” and “inadvertently used profanity” when the cameraman was about two feet away from her.

“Unfortunately, the microphone was on,” she said. “I want to publicly apologize to the fans and to my fellow professionals for my unprofessional behavior.”

Beth Solomon eagled the 18th hole for a 70 and a 214 total. Kathy Baker, Becky Pearson and Rosie Jones were at 215.

Defending champion Denis Watson of South Africa compiled what he called “a kind of unusual” four-under-par 66 and regained a share of the lead after three rounds of the $700,000 World Series of Golf at Akron, Ohio.

“I missed several easy birdie opportunities and made the difficult ones,” said Watson, who failed on two birdie putts from about five feet.

“There was a lot of solid grinding,” said Watson, who completed three trips over the Firestone Country Club course in 202.

He was tied with Roger Maltbie, who has had a share of the lead all three days. Maltbie saved a round of 68 with a 12-foot par putt in steady rain on the final hole and, grinning broadly, scampered away under an umbrella.

“I’m delighted to finish in the fashion I did, with good, par-saving putts on the last two holes,” said Maltbie, who also made an eight-foot putt on the 17th hole.

Gordon Brand Jr. of England shot a 70 in the chilly showers and dropped two strokes back at 204.

Texans Miller Barber and Ben Crenshaw teamed for an eight-under-par 64 to move into a tie for the lead after three rounds of the $450,000 Jeremy Ranch Shootout near Park City, Utah.

They have a 54-hole total of 192, the same score as Gene Littler and John Mahaffey, who shot a third-round 67.

West Germany’s Bernhard Langer shot a career-best 60 to take a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the rain-plagued West German Open at Bremen, West Germany.

On a shortened course with par reduced from 74 to 66, Langer was in fine form after his opening round of 61.