Floyd, With a 66, Eases Into Tie : Low-Key Veteran, Stadler Ahead by 2 in Andy Williams Open

As he proved a year ago by becoming the oldest U.S. Open champion in history, Ray Floyd is not too old to win a golf tournament.

But, at 44, he is too old to feel any butterflies when he picks up a club. And that appears to be one of the disadvantages of experience, according to Floyd, who is tied with another veteran, J. C. Snead, at 17-under-par 199 after three rounds Saturday of the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams Open.

Entering today’s final round, there are six golfers--David Edwards, Bob Lohr, Lennie Clements, Bobby Wadkins, Lon Hinkle and George Burns--within two shots of the leaders.

One stroke further back at 14-under-par 202 are Hal Sutton, Mark McCumber, Buddy Gardner and Craig Stadler. Four shots off the lead and feeling good about his chances is Tom Watson.

After heavy rains softened the greens Friday night, the course yielded 18 eagles, along with an extraordinary double eagle by Edwards on the 18th hole.

From a favorable lie 240 yards from the pin, Edwards selected his driver, put the ball on the green on one bounce and knew from the fans’ reaction that he had holed the shot.

“Stuff like this happens to you--you don’t make it happen,” Edwards said. “I want to enjoy it, then forget it so it won’t be a distraction in the final round.”

Floyd seemed even more low-keyed after making an eagle on No. 18.

Floyd, who has made seven holes-in-one but no double eagles in his career, said his most memorable shot came at age 13 when he was playing in a mixed foursome with his mother and holed a shot with a three wood on a par-4 hole.

Floyd doesn’t think it will take two or three eagles to win the tournament today. His objective is not splashy crowd-pleasing shots. He just wants to play steadily and give himself opportunities to birdie.

With two second-place finishes here, Floyd will take a relaxed approach today. He might prefer to be more excited, but he knows himself too well to expect it.

“I wish I still got butterflies, that little buzzy-type feeling that tells me I’m keyed up,” Floyd said after matching Snead’s 66 on the South course at Torrey Pines.

“I like that feeling, however you describe it. It’s good for me. It means I’m very alert and focused. But after so many years, I rarely get it, except on certain holes or when I’m over a putt.”

The feeling is not one of fear, he stressed.

“I’m not afraid on a golf course because I don’t mind getting beat,” he said. “I can accept defeat. To be worth anything in any profession, you have to know you won’t go through it without failure. You lose twice as many golf tournaments as you win. Jack Nicklaus has more seconds than any man, and also more wins.”

Snead, who won here in 1975 and 1976 but hasn’t had a tour victory since 1981, had a different sort of feeling Saturday.

“Winning again would be great,” he said. “It would turn me around again. I’d like to win for my Pop (who died two weeks ago). Maybe he’s watching.”

Snead said his previous victories at Torrey Pines won’t make any difference today.

“Everyone is shooting the lights out, so I’ll probably have to shoot four- or five-under to have a chance,” he said.

Watson is pretty optimistic about his chances, though he will have to make up four shots on Snead and Floyd.

“I’m doing everything well enough to win if I putt well,” Watson said. “I have to get the ball in the hole.”

Watson had dinner Friday night with Lee Trevino, who made him a plastic wrist brace to smooth his putting stroke. Watson didn’t use the brace Saturday, but tried to employ the theory of making his stroke “less handsy.”

“I feel I can win, but I have to make the putts,” Watson said.

Dealing with the distractions of being a hometown player is the concern of Clements, who lives at Rancho Bernardo.

“Chip Beck has been my house guest this week and he’s out running every morning when I wake up,” Clements said. “I feel guilty because I’m always eating a sweet roll when he comes in. I threw away the pastry and drank some fresh juice today.”

On a more serious note, Clements said that getting enough sleep is a bigger problem. He has a 6-month-old son who’s keeping him and his wife awake.

“My worst day on the course isn’t as bad as his best night,” Clements said. “I’ve been up half the night with him, but I’m getting used to it. I could use the extra eight minutes’ sleep if I were in the final group that tees off.”

Clements, however, will have to do with just a little less sleep because he will be in the next-to-last group to tee off today.