GOLF ROUNDUP : Colbert Positioned for Victory

The final round may have come a day early in the Vantage Championship at Clemmons, N.C., and if weather forecasters are right, Jim Colbert will win the richest event on the Senior PGA Tour for the second year in a row.

“With last week fresh in their minds, and with the forecast, everybody played like it was Sunday,” Colbert said Saturday after shooting a five-under-par 67 that left him at 12-under 132, two shots ahead of Jim Dent, the man he beat a year ago.

The forecast for today is for a 70% chance of rain. If the weather is too severe or the Tanglewood course becomes unplayable, the $1.35-million tournament will be reduced to 36 holes.

Gibby Gilbert is alone in third at 135 after using only 23 putts to shoot a 66. Don January played the front side in 30 and had a 67 that left him at 136.

DeWitt Weaver, with a 65, and Jim Albus, with a 69, were another shot back at 137.

Isao Aoki, the Japanese rookie who won last week’s rain-shortened event in Atlanta, was at 139 after shooting a 69. Ray Floyd was out of title contention at 70-145.

Gary Hallberg, who hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 1987, is in position to end his drought.

“I don’t want to think about it too much right now,” Hallberg said after shooting his second consecutive three-under-par 69 at the Southern Open in Pine Mountain, Ga.

His three-round total of 10-under-par 206 left Hallberg with a one-shot lead over Jim Gallagher, who had a 70 over the Mountain View Golf Course at Callaway Gardens during a steady rain.

“I’ve been in this position quite a few times,” Hallberg said. “I’m just going out and do the best I can.”

Hallberg, the only four-time, first-team All-American when he was a collegian at Wake Forest, has won only three times in 13 years on the tour and has not even been in the lead of a tournament since the 1991 Texas Open.

Alone in third place at 209 was Loren Roberts, who matched the lowest round of the day with a bogey-free 68. Tied for fourth at 210 were Gene Sauers, who also shot 68; Larry Silveira (69); Kelly Gibson (71), and Ed Humenik (72).

John Daly, who led after the first round and was tied for second after Friday’s second round, shot a 73 and is at 211.

The favored United States split four matches with Europe which allowed the Europeans to retain a half-point lead with one day to play in the Solheim Cup tournament at Edinburgh, Scotland.

The 2-2 tie in the fourballs competition left Europe with a 4 1/2-3 1/2 lead.

Betsy King and Meg Mallon beat Scottish pair Dale Reid and Pamela Wright by one hole, but U.S. Open champion Patty Sheehan and Juli Inkster lost by the same margin to English players Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas.