O’Meara Still Right on Course With 68 : Golf: He has a two-shot lead after three rounds, with the final 18 holes at his favorite place, Pebble Beach.

The Great Chase begins today at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Some of the world’s best golfers will be trying to catch Mark O’Meara, who is in his comfort zone on the Monterey Peninsula courses--and for good reason.

O’Meara, who will be shooting for his fourth victory in this tournament, also won the U.S. Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach in 1979.

He shot a four-under-par 68 Saturday at Pebble Beach for a 54-hole score of 205, 11 under, and has a two-stroke lead over Jeff Sluman going into the final round.

Some prominent players are also in contention. Paul Azinger, the defending champion, and Raymond Floyd are at 208 after both shot eight-under-par 64 at Pebble Beach. Also at 208 are Tom Lehman, Mark Wiebe, and Howard Twitty. Floyd says that O’Meara definitely has a “tremendous psychological edge” over the field.

“He must have a great feeling for the greens. They’re very tricky. He knows these contours.” Floyd said. “When you have won four events here, if I were him, I couldn’t wait to get back here tomorrow.”

Asked if O’Meara has an additional advantage other than his lead, Azinger said:

“His winning here may not mean a lot to him, but it does to the rest of us who are chasing him.”

Sluman, who shot a 70 at Poppy Hills, said that the Pebble Beach tournament is like an annuity to O’Meara.

“No one would want to spot him two shots here,” Sluman said.

Payne Stewart, who is four shots behind O’Meara, is also aware of O’Meara’s commanding position.

“Somebody will have to come out of the pack and tear it up to catch Mark,” Stewart said. “I don’t see us getting much help from Mark. I really don’t.”

An early-morning rain gave way to sunshine and clear skies Saturday and the courses, especially Pebble Beach, yielded low scores.

O’Meara had one round of par at the Tournament of Champions at La Costa. Otherwise all of his other 15 rounds in four tournaments this year have been under par.

He had five birdies and a bogey in his round of 68 and saved par on the 18th hole by coming out of a bunker to within 18 inches of the cup, where he made his putt.

“Arnold Palmer said, ‘That was a great shot,’ ” O’Meara said. “If Arnold said it, it must have been.”

Asked to assess his prospects of winning again here, O’Meara said:

“You have players who are capable of shooting a very good score and I can’t control that. I have to shoot a very good score and, hopefully when we total them up, I’ll come out a winner.

“No matter how good you are, you can hit some funny shots. Golf is a tough game.”

He is also mindful that the U.S. Open will be held here June 18-21.

“Mark is my early pick for the U.S. Open,” said Stewart, the defending Open champion.

However, there’s some business to be completed here and O’Meara’s competition is formidable.

Until he won here last year, Azinger was frustrated in this tournament. He had trouble reading the greens and vowed he would never return--but he did.

“If you had asked me two years ago if I could shoot a 64 at Pebble Beach, I would say you were dreaming,” Azinger said.

Azinger birdied the first three holes and got three more birdies through his first nine holes for a 30, tying the front-nine record set by Joe Inman in 1983 and Jim Booros in 1988.

“After shooting 30, I told myself, ‘You don’t get this chance very often, so you need to go for all you can get.’ ”

What he got was three birdies and a bogey on the back nine for his 64.

Floyd said the greens and fairways at Pebble Beach are in the best condition he has seen them. “And I go back 30 years,” he said.

P.H. Horgan III and Bob Lohr, the second-round co-leaders, faded Saturday. Horgan shot a 76 (212) at Poppy Hills and Lohr had a 79 (215) at Spyglass.

Golf Notes

Tom Lehman, who shot a 70 at Pebble Beach, was the leading money-winner on the Ben Hogan Tour last year. Mark Wiebe and Howard Twitty each shot 70 at Poppy Hills. Wiebe shared the first-round lead with Jeff Sluman. Twitty has been on the tour since 1975 and has won twice. . . . Paul Azinger said that a 61 or 62 is possible today in the final round at Pebble Beach, if the weather doesn’t change.

Actor Jack Lemmon missed the cut for the 19th time, while being paired with pro Peter Jacobsen. . . . Actor Randy Quaid scored a hole in one on the 182-yard 12th hole Friday at Pebble Beach. He used a five-iron.