GOLF ROUNDUP : Being Tied for First a First for McNamara (67)

Second-year pro Melissa McNamara surged past some of the game’s best players on the back nine Saturday to tie Patty Sheehan for the third-round lead in the $450,000 LPGA tournament at Stratton Mountain, Vt.

McNamara, 25, whose best finish was a 10th last year and who has only $33,000 in career earnings, had the day’s best round, a 67. Her 54-hole score of eight-under 208 matched Sheehan, who had a 70.

Deb Richard, seeking her second victory in two weeks, started the day tied for the lead with Sheehan and defending champion Cathy Gerring, but shot an even-par 72 and dropped into third place at 210.

Gerring fell apart with a 76 and is at 214.

Pat Bradley, the tour’s leading money-winner who started the day three strokes behind the leaders along with McNamara, birdied the last two holes for a 70 and is alone at 211.

It’s the first time at the top entering a final round for McNamara. She missed the cut in seven of her first nine tournaments this year before managing a 12th-place finish 10 weeks ago.

But her lofty status failed to faze her.

“When I get on a roll, I start to be aggressive, not nervous,” she said. “Instead of avoiding the leader board with my name on it, I decided to get used to it.

“I’ve worked hard enough, and I think I deserve it.”

Sheehan was happy to be playing well again. She won five tournaments last year and one early this season before she injured her hand seven weeks ago.

“I am pleased to be in contention again. I appreciate where I am,” she said. “It’s been awhile.”

She said the hand ached most of the day, but “I just put up with it.”

Charles Coody shot a three-under-par 69 to take a four-shot lead after two rounds of the $350,000 Senior Tour event at Jeremy Ranch, Utah.

Coody opened with a 65 on Friday over the mountainous, par-72, 7,103-yard course and followed with a solid second round for a 36-hole total of 10-under 134.

That was three shots better than Bob Wynn, Dale Douglass and Bobby Nicholls. Wynn and Nicholls had 72s. Douglass shot a 67.

Sixty-year-old Lloyd Moody won $11,000 in the 36-hole Super Seniors portion of the event and was at 139 after a 72 along with Bob Betley (72) and George Archer (69).

Coody started the day with a bogey on the first hole and took a double bogey on No. 3 after putting his second shot out of bounds. But then he found the stroke that helped him to the first-round lead, firing six birdies over the final 15 holes.

“I wasn’t real happy with the way I started and I wasn’t even out of the shadow of the clubhouse,” Coody said.

“I haven’t had a four-shot lead since I’ve been on the Senior PGA Tour,” he said. “My objective is to make pars and birdies tomorrow. You can get into trouble by being overly conservative.”