Golf Roundup : Barr, Nearly Out of It, Soars Into Lead With 61

Dave Barr, 10 shots behind after two rounds, thougt that he could get them back, but not all in one day.

Barr tied a course record Saturday with a 9-under-par 61 to take a 1-shot lead in the third round of the $400,000 Southern Open golf tournament at Columbus, Ga.

“I was struggling the first couple of days down here, but today everything came together,” said Barr, 36th on the money list with $256,150.

“Hopefully, I didn’t use up all my birdies today. I hope I saved a few for tomorrow.”

Barr, at par after 36 holes, overtook second-round leader Jeff Sluman with a round that included 9 birdies and was at 201 entering today’s final round.

Barr, 36, a two-time winner in his 11th year on the PGA Tour, matched the course record set by Rod Curl in 1982 and tied by Hale Irwin in 1986.

Barr’s round included birdie putts of 35, 20, 15 and 10 feet. He also had a par-saving 23-footer on the 16th hole.

Sluman, the PGA champion, stumbled to a 74 and a 204 total after earlier scores of 63 and 67.

Sluman birdied the fourth hole before running into trouble. He bogeyed 3 of his next 4 holes and had 2 more bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 to fall 3 shots behind Barr.

Mike Hulbert, Lance Ten Broeck and Dan Forsman were at 202 after rounds of 69.

Two shots back were David Frost (65), Brad Fabel (65), Bob Tway (66) and Leonard Thompson (71).

Tied at 204, along with Sluman, were Steve Lowery (69) and Russ Cochran (68).

Missie McGeorge and Juli Inkster shot 3-under-par 69s for the second straight day and shared a 1-stroke lead at 138 entering the final round of a $300,000 LPGA tournament at San Jose.

Inkster, who led after the second round last year but faded on the final day, has won three tournaments this year, including the Safeco 2 weeks ago. She needs only $9,603 in winnings this week to become the LPGA’s 17th career millionaire.

McGeorge, who has yet to win a tournament on the tour, finished second last week at Santa Barbara.

“Anytime you win your first tournament it’s a major breakthrough,” McGeorge said. “I hit the ball real solidly. I haven’t made any real changes in my game, I’m just relaxed because I’m tired.”

Missie Berteotti was at 139 after a 71.

Bunched at 140 were Myra Blackwelder, Nina Foust, Tammie Green, Cathy Marino, Kathy Guadagnino, Chris Johnson, first-round leader Judi Dickinson and defending champion Jan Stephenson, who had a 69.

Stephenson, who has yet to win a tournament this year, would be especially happy to repeat.

Last year, Stephenson fired a 65 on the final day to overtake Inkster and win by 5 strokes.

Kay Cockerill, of nearby Los Gatos, had a hole-in-one on the 159-yard No. 6 with a 6-iron on her way to a round of 69. Cockerill shot an opening 78, but her round Saturday qualified her at the 147 cut.

Bob Charles shot a 3-under-par 69 for a 139 total and a 1-stroke lead in the PGA Senior Challenge tournament at Roswell, Ga.

Dick Hendrickson, Harold Henning and Bert Yancey were tied for second at 140.

Charles birdied the 1st, 6th, 9th, 11th and 18th holes to offset bogies on Nos. 12 and 13.

Henning, who had a 68, made a 12-foot eagle putt on the par-5 first hole and had birdies on Nos. 7 and 13.

Hendrickson and Yancey, who were tied for the lead after Friday’s first round, shot second-round 72s.