GOLF ROUNDUP : Couples Takes Lead; Floyd Trails by Three

A more confident, comfortable Fred Couples swept past Ray Floyd to assume control of the $1.1-million Honda Classic Saturday at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

A week ago, Couples spoke of being intimidated by Floyd and observed, going into the final round: “He won’t be worried about me, and I’ll be worried about him.”

Couples turned the tables Saturday with a seven-under-par 65.

“Right now I feel like, not that the game is easy, but I can’t play better than I’ve been playing,” Couples said. “So I need to really pay attention to what I’m doing.”

Couples was runner-up to Floyd last week, won the Los Angeles Open the week before and has had only one round over par this year.

Seven players, including Floyd, are within four strokes of Couples going into today’s final round.

With a 202 total, 14 under par on the Weston Hills Country Club course, Couples holds a one-shot advantage over Mark Brooks, who shot a 64 with a double bogey.

Floyd, the 36-hole leader, slipped to a 71 and is tied at 205 with Greg Hickman and Corey Pavin.

Defending champion Lee Trevino and Miller Barber shot six-under-par 66s to share the 36-hole lead in the $400,000 Vantage at The Dominion Senior PGA tournament.

Trevino and Barber were at 10-under 134 after two rounds over the 6,814-yard, par-72 Dominion Country Club Course at San Antonio.

Barber, 60, won his third super senior title of the season, for golfers aged 60 and older. He is trying to become the first to win a super senior and a senior tournament on the same weekend.

One stroke behind the co-leaders were Jimmy Powell, Chi Chi Rodriguez and George Archer.

Beth Daniel birdied the first three holes and shot a five-under-par 67 to extend her lead to four strokes after three rounds of the Ping-Welch’s Championship at Tucson.

Daniel was at 11-under-par 205 after 54 holes over the 6,243-yard Randolph North Golf Course. That left her comfortably ahead of Pat Bradley, Dale Eggeling and Brandie Burton.

Bradley knocked six shots off par on the last 10 holes with four birdies and an eagle for a 66 and 209 after 54 holes.

Alice Ritzman, Colleen Walker, Hollis Stacy and Anne-Marie Palli are six shots behind. Kris Tschetter is alone at 212.