GOLF ROUNDUP : Sizzling Couples (63) Leads by Six

Going into Saturday’s third round of the Nestle Invitational at Orlando, Fla., Fred Couples said “71 would be a good number to shoot at.”

He beat that goal by eight shots with a nine-under-par 63 and put the tournament in his pocket on the strength of a six-shot lead over the strongest field assembled this year.

There is one round to go in the chase for a $180,000 first prize, but Gene Sauers, the only man less than 10 shots behind the runaway leader, all but conceded.

“I’ll just be playing for second,” Sauers said, looking ahead to the formality of the final round today.

“The way Freddie is playing, I’d have to shoot 57 or something to catch him,” Sauers said after shooting a 65 and losing ground.

The way Couples is playing, even a 57 might not be good enough.

In the last nine months, Couples has won four times and been sixth or better in 18 of his last 22 starts around the world.

And it keeps getting better.

In the last three weeks, for example, Couples won at Los Angeles, was second in the Doral Open and last week lost a playoff in the Honda Classic.

For the year, he is averaging $74,916 per start, and 68.2 strokes per round.

None of those rounds were any better than Saturday’s romp over Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club course on what Couples called “a gentle day.”

The big-hitting, easy-going Couples had seven birdies and an eagle and wasn’t even close to making bogey in one of his career-best efforts.

“A round I’ll remember for a long time,” Couples said after finishing 54 holes at 199, 17 strokes under par and a tournament record.

Not knowing what to expect in his pairing with Sauers in today’s round, Couples said he will “just go out and play like we’re tied.”

Larry Nelson was third alone at 209--10 strokes back--after a 70.

Couples started his run with a three-iron second shot that set up a 15-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole. He birdied the sixth from 10 feet, hit a seven-iron to six feet on the eighth and turned in 32.

A 20-footer dropped for birdie on the 11th and he hit a sand wedge to three feet on the 13th. A birdie on the 15th was followed by a two-putt birdie on the 16th and another 20-footer on the 17th.

“Just one of those days,” Couples said. “It’s hard to explain.”

Defending champion Danielle Ammaccapane shot a four-under-par 69 to take a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA Standard Register Ping tournament at Phoenix.

Ammaccapane was one of only three players to break 70 on the 6,483-yard, par-73 Moon Valley Country Club course. She is at 210, nine under par, one stroke ahead of Marta Figueras-Dotti, who had a 72. Kristi Albers (71) is next at 213.

The field waited through two rain delays totaling 2 1/2 hours.