Golf Roundup : Blake Is No-Name at Top in Georgia

What’s in a leader-board? The names atop the Atlanta tournament aren’t exactly a who’s who of golf. It’s more like a who’s he.

Jay Don Blake, who has never finished better than ninth in a PGA Tour event, birdied the final hole to cap a two-under-par 70 and take a one-stroke lead after three rounds at Marietta, Ga.

Blake had a nine-under-par total of 207 for 54 holes. Duffy Waldorf, another non-winner, had a 71 and sole possession of second place.

“I hope that when it’s all over with, they’ll know my name,” Blake said.

“Just because you don’t have a well-known player up there doesn’t mean there isn’t talent up there,” he added of a leader board that also includes Waldorf, Kent Kluba and Mike Miles.

Larry Mize, Davis Love III and Kluba each posted 69s that left them two shots off the lead.

Wayne Grady of Australia, who led at the halfway point, parred the first 14 holes before taking bogeys on three of the last for holes to fall four shots back after a 75.

Ayako Okamoto of Japan overcame swirling winds to shoot a four-under-par 67 to open a five-shot lead over Beth Daniel after three rounds of an LPGA tournament at Corning, N.Y.

Okamoto, who had previous rounds of 69 and 66, had a 54-hole total of 11-under-par 202.

Daniel, who trailed by only one stroke going into the third round, shot a 71 for 207.

Pat Bradley was third, seven shots behind, at 209. Patty Sheehan and first-round co-leader Dawn Coe were tied for fourth at 211.

Al Geiberger saw his lead dwindle to one stroke when he shot a one-under-par 71 in the second round of the Senior Tour’s Southwestern Bell tournament at Oklahoma City.

Geiberger, who had a three-shot lead at the start of the day, birdied the first and last holes for a 36-hole total of seven-under-par 137.

Bobby Nichols was alone in second place after his second 69. Jim Dent had an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole and shot a 70 to tie for third with Paul Moran (65) and Orville Moody (70), two strokes back.

Masters winner Nick Faldo of Britain overcame a double bogey on the 15th hole to share a three-shot lead with Australian Craig Parry after two rounds of the European PGA Championship at Virginia Water, England.

Faldo had a 69, and Parry had a second 68 for a total of 136.