GOLF ROUNDUP : Trevino Has Lead, Still Looks Back

Leading The Tradition after three rounds didn’t give Lee Trevino any feeling of security, not with Jack Nicklaus in pursuit.

“Jack’s the guy to beat here,” Trevino said Saturday after his four-under-par 68 provided a two-stroke cushion over Nicklaus and Chi Chi Rodriguez going into the final round of the $800,000 Senior PGA Tour event at Scottsdale, Ariz.

“If I come back with a 68 tomorrow, I’ll force Jack or Chi Chi to shoot a 65 to win,” said Trevino, the Senior Tour’s top money-winner with $177,229 after six tournaments.

Rodriguez, who shot a 71 to Nicklaus’ 69, started with a one-shot lead. Then Nicklaus got rolling and was five under for the first nine. But his round included three bogeys and a double bogey as well as eight birdies.

“It wasn’t dull,” Nicklaus said. “It was never lacking in something unusual happening.

“I’m amazed that I’m still in contention with the number of bogeys and bad shots that I’ve made,” he added.

Trevino finished three rounds at 204, a 54-hole record for the 6,864-yard Cochise Course, which Nicklaus designed.

Jeff Maggert shot a five-under-par 67 to surge into a two-stroke lead going into the final round of the $1-million tournament at New Orleans.

Maggert is at 12-under 204. Chip Beck, who started the day with a four-stroke lead, shot a 74 and is now two strokes behind Maggert.

A week ago, at The Players Championship, Beck shot 81 on Saturday and took himself out of contention.

“I didn’t really throw myself out today. I just made it a golf tournament,” Beck said. “A day like today, just because I hung in there so good, I feel good about tomorrow.”

Brad Bryant fell from second to third with a round of 71, giving him a 54-hole total of 207.

Amy Alcott shot a two-under-par 70 to move into a four-way tie for the lead after two rounds of the Las Vegas Invitational.

Tied with Alcott at three-under 141 at the Desert Inn Country Club were Jane Geddes (72), Dana Lofland (71) and first-round co-leader Florence Descampe (74).