Couples (62) Slays the Course : Golf: He has 10 birdies in record-tying round at Riviera and he shatters the 54-hole tournament mark with a 197. But Morgan and Mediate aren’t far behind.

Fred Couples has been successful on the PGA Tour, a player who is often in contention and high on the money-winning list.

However, as skilled as he is, it’s generally believed that he hasn’t always played to his potential.

Couples reached that potential and then some Saturday at the Nissan Los Angeles Open at the Riviera Country Club.

He tied the course record with a nine-under-par 62 to take a two-stroke lead into today’s final round.

Moreover, his 54-hole total of 197, 16 under par, set an L.A. Open record for three rounds. Chip Beck held the previous record at 199 in 1988.

With many in a crowd of 35,650 cheering him on, Couples finished with a flourish.

His seven-iron second shot on the 447-yard 18th hole landed only two feet from the cup.

“That was fantastic,” said the 30-year-old Couples, who then tapped in for his 10th birdie of the afternoon.

Couples started the day four strokes behind Michael Allen, the second-round leader, but he made up ground in a hurry with six birdies on the front nine along with one bogey.

He had four more birdies on the back nine to tie the course record set by Larry Mize in 1985.

“This is the best I’ve ever played for three rounds,” said Couples, who is known as Boom-Boom for his length off the tee.

Riviera has been a fast track for the pros this week because of the warm weather, gentle breezes and with the greens holding shots.

So sub-par rounds are routine. Rocco Mediate, 27, and Gil Morgan, 43, a two-time L.A. Open champion, will be playing in the final group with Couples today.

Mediate, shooting for his first tour victory, shot a four-under par 67. Morgan had a 65. They’re at 199, tying Beck’s 54-hole record that was broken by Couples.

Allen, who held the lead for 36 holes, got off to a shaky start when his tee shot on the par-five, 501-yard first hole landed out of bounds on the top of a hospitality tent.

He got a double bogey on the hole, but recovered to shoot a one-over-par 72. Nonetheless, he’s at 203, one stroke behind Hale Irwin (64) and Hal Sutton (67) and six back of Couples.

“It was just one of those days,” said Couples, who lived in Newport Beach for a while, but now makes his home in Palm Beach, Fla.

“I don’t know if it was a flawless round, but every time I looked up the ball was going where I looked,” he said. “Obviously, I know I can’t shoot 62 tomorrow, but I need to play well and that’s all I’ll be thinking about.”

Neither Mediate nor Morgan were surprised that Couples shot a 62, saying that he’s capable of it.

For all of his talent, though, Couples has only three tour victories in nine years, the last coming in the Byron Nelson tournament in 1987.

However, he has been a member of the Ryder Cup team, had five top-10 finishes in 1989 and has earned $1.7 million the past three years on the tour.

Couples said Friday that he doubted that anyone would shoot a score as low as 63, which Allen did in the first round Thursday.

So Couples came back with a 62, which he said was his best competitive round.

“I don’t know why,” said Couples. “However, it’s the best I’ve ever hit my irons and I don’t believe the pins were as tough (placement) as they were the first two days.”

Asked to describe his birdie on the 18th hole, which is uphill and is regarded as one of the most demanding finishing holes on the tour, Couples said:

“My drive landed in the first cut of the rough and I had a good lie and was 156 yards away. The pin was on line with trees. I hit it just enough to catch the green and it spun sideways down toward the pin.

“It was the shot I was trying to hit, but it was a fluke that it was two feet away.”

There was nothing fluky, though, about his round. And if he shoots 66 or better today, he will break the 72-hole L.A. Open record of 264 set by Lanny Wadkins in 1985.

Asked about the high expectations for him, Couples said: “A few times my mind hasn’t been in it, but most of the time my golf is as strong as my game will let me play.”

Couples and Morgan have been in contention on the final day in other years. For Mediate, it’s a relatively new experience.

He was in the final group at Pebble Beach recently, but faltered by shooting a 77 in a tournament won by Mark O’Meara.

“Today was a huge test for me,” Mediate said. “If you shoot a high score, you’re gone. Now I have a chance, but I was nervous on the first tee.”

Mediate stumbled, though, on the 413-yard 12th hole, where he took a double bogey.

But he recovered quickly--and spectacularly--on the next hole, a par-four measuring 420 yards. His five-iron second shot from 176 yards away took one bounce on the green and rolled into the cup for an eagle.

“I took an extra club, choked down and hit it as hard I can and it went in, “ Mediate said. “It surprised me.”

He then got two birdies on the last five holes to finish with his 67.

Mediate said his 14-under-par score for three rounds is his best showing in his five years on the tour.

“I feel like I want to feel,” he said. “I’m having fun and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Golf Notes

Five players were grouped at 204--Peter Persons, Tom Sieckmann, Corey Pavin, Peter Jacobsen and Tony Sills. Mark Calcavecchia, the defending champion, is at 208 after shooting 69 Saturday. . . . Pat Fitzsimons, who won the L.A. Open in 1975, was in contention Thursday with a 66. Since, he’s had a 76 and 67 and is at 209. . . . Fred Couples, playing in the L.A. Open for the 10th time, considers it a must stop for him on the tour. He finished seventh in last year’s tournament, five strokes behind Calcavecchia.

LEADERS Riviera Country Club--Par 71

Fred Couples 68-67-62--197

Gil Morgan 67-67-65--199

Rocco Mediate 65-67-67--199

Hale Irwin 71-67-64--202

Hal Sutton 68-67-67--202

Michael Allen 63-68-72--203

5 tied at 204