Golf Roundup : A Hot Putter Puts Fehr in Driver’s Seat by 3 Over Mize

Rick Fehr continued his hot putting Saturday and took sole possession of the lead in the $400,000 B.C. Open golf tournament at Endicott, N.Y., with a four-under-par 67.

Fehr’s five-birdie performance gave him a 198 for three rounds and a three-stroke advantage over Larry Mize.

Mize, who started the day in a deadlock with Fehr, was plagued by bogeys and could only muster a 70 despite four birdies.

Howard Twitty, Larry Rinker and Dick Mast were next at 205.

The United States team won five matches and tied another to take an overwhelming 44 1/2-19 1/2 lead over an International squad after three rounds of the PGA Senior $600,000 Chrysler Cup at Potomac, Md.

The U.S. team needs to win only six of the available 36 points in today’s final round to take the championship.

American winners included Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Don January and Dale Douglass.

M.J. Smith, who has struggled through 13 years of obscurity on the Ladies Professional Golf Assn. Tour, shot a one-over-par 73 but held off a charge by defending champion Nancy Lopez to take a one-stroke lead in the second round of the $200,000 Cellular-One Ping Championship at Portland, Ore.

The New Zealand-born Smith, whose best finish this year has been a tie for 33rd, was at 139 through 36 holes on the windy Columbia-Edgewater Country Club course.

Lopez, who needs one victory to clinch a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame, was tied with Colleen Walker at 140. Lopez shot a 70 and Walker a 68.