Golf Roundup : A Final-Hole Bogey Drops Twitty Into Three-Way Tie

Howard Twitty bogeyed the final hole Saturday to drop into a three-way tie with Steve Elkington and Scott Verplank in the third round of the Buick Open golf tournament at Grand Blanc, Mich.

Elkington, a 26-year-old Australian who started the day three strokes behind Verplank and one in back of Twitty, shot a 5-under-par 67 and was tied at 14-under-par 202 with Twitty, who had a 68, and Verplank, who shot a 70 after having 66s in the first two rounds.

Ken Green, the 1985 winner here, shot a 65 and was at 203, while Dave Eichelberger was at 204 after a 67.

Twitty started the third round two strokes behind Verplank, his playing partner in the final twosome.

Twitty charged into the lead when he birdied No. 9 while Verplank bogeyed. But Twitty, who led by two strokes midway through the back nine, lost the advantage with the bogey on the the final hole after Verplank birdied the 17th.

The winner of the $700,000 tournament gets $126,000 and the use of a car for a year.

Connie Chillemi, bidding for her first LPGA tour victory, shot a 7-under-par 64 in 95-degree heat to take the second-round lead at 136 in the inaugural $225,000 Greater Washington Open at Bethesda, Md.

Chillemi’s round included nine birdies and two bogeys on the Bethesda Country Club course.

One stroke back were Jan Stephenson and Beth Daniel, who missed 14 straight tournaments earlier in the year with mononucleosis. Both shot 69s.

Janet Coles, who shot a 70, was at 138, while U.S. Open winner Liselotte Neumann of Sweden (68), Ayako Okamoto (70), Mary Beth Zimmerman (70) and Vicki Fergon (67) were at 139.

Chi Chi Rodriguez birdied four of his last five holes for a 7-under-par 65 and a 133 to take a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the $300,000 Digital Senior tournament at Concord, Mass.

New Zealander Bob Charles, who had both an eagle and a hole-in-one, also shot a 65 and was second at 136.

Harold Henning and Doug Dalziel were at 137 after shooting 68s, while first-round leader Bobby Nichols, who had a 71, was tied at 138 with Al Geiberger, who had a 70.

Arnold Palmer, with a 69, headed a group at 139 that also included Dale Douglass, who matched the course record with a 64.

Briton David J. Russell made a hole-in-one, then almost got another ace on the front nine en route to a 66 for a 202 total and a one-stroke lead over Spain’s Seve Ballesteros, who also shot a 66, after three rounds of the $450,000 Scandinavian Open at Stockholm.

Russell, 34, used a 7-iron to ace the 181-yard sixth hole, and his 6-iron on the 164-yard No. 9 stopped a half-inch below the hole.

A course record 5-under-par 69 enabled Sally Little, the South African-born American, to take a one-stroke lead over Australian Corrine Dibnah after three rounds of the $170,000 British Women’s Open golf championship at Lindrick, England.

Little had a total of 3-under-par 219. Dibnah had a 74 for a 220 total.