U.S. OPEN : Stewart Is Keeping the Heat on Janzen : Golf: Janzen shoots 69 for one-shot edge over Stewart, who shoots 68. Baltusrol and weather finally take their toll.

Lee Janzen will be exploring new territory today in the final round of the U.S. Open because he hasn’t played in many major events.

He hasn’t stumbled so far. The 28-year-old pro retained his lead after the third round Saturday at Baltusrol Golf Club as some of the game’s best players failed to challenge him.

Only Payne Stewart, who won the U.S. Open in 1991, kept Janzen clearly in his sights in 100-degree weather.

Janzen shot a one-under-par 69 for a 54-hole score of 203, seven under. Stewart, who was two strokes behind Janzen at the outset of the third round, had a 68 to close to within one.

Nick Price of Zimbabwe, with a 70, is at 207, and David Edwards and Paul Azinger are at 208.

Tom Watson, like Stewart, was only two shots behind Janzen at the outset of the round. Corey Pavin was three back. Both players faded in the heat.

Watson, after a 66 on Friday, had a three-over 73. Pavin, with two double bogeys in the first four holes, shot a 40 on the front nine and wound up with a 75.

Janzen’s 203 tied a U.S. Open record for the lowest 54-hole score. George Burns set the record in 1981 and it was matched by T.C. Chen in 1985.

Janzen, who has been on the tour for three years--with two victories--seems unflappable.

“I know it will be tough,” Janzen said of today’s final round. “I’m just going to go out there like I did today and give 18 holes of the best concentration and effort I can.”

Janzen said he had set a goal this year of making the cut in the four majors and finishing in the top 10.

Obviously, his plan has been accelerated.

Asked to comment on being paired today with Stewart, who won the 1989 PGA Championship in addition to the 1991 Open, Janzen said:

“I’m not really concerned with how he’ll play. I can’t let what he does affect me in any way.”

Janzen had birdies on the first two holes Saturday, but then he bogeyed the third and fifth holes--all par fours.

“I thought my momentum was going the wrong way,” he said.

Then, he made an 18-foot putt to birdie the par-four eighth hole and was steady the rest of the round--all pars except for a bogey at No. 15 and a birdie at the par-five 18th.

Stewart had a bogey-free round along with two birdies. He made a 2 1/2-foot putt on the par-four 13th hole and two-putted from 35 feet at the 18th hole.

Stewart’s game was in limbo after winning the Open in 1991. He didn’t make the cut in the 1992 Open at Pebble Beach.

Asked what it would mean to him to win the Open again, Stewart said: “I’ve fantasized about it. If it comes to pass tomorrow, I will enjoy it. I didn’t have time to enjoy it before.”

Price was asked to assess the players ahead of him. Of Janzen, he said: “Well, he’s entering new territory, but he is very capable of winning this championship. I’ve played a lot with him. He’s an extremely intelligent golfer and an exceptionally good putter. I don’t see him fading at all.”

As for Stewart, Price said: “Payne has always had the game that has no limits. There aren’t many people who have the talent he does. Sometimes that’s a factor that works against you because everyone says, ‘Oh, you should be doing better.’

“But he has been through his bad patch and, when Payne starts winning again, I think we’re going to see a new Payne Stewart come out.”

Stewart seemed confident that his game would hold up today under any conditions.

“I was proud of the way I played today. I drove the ball in the fairway and gave myself a chance. I came here to win, and I feel confident in this position.”

Stewart said of Janzen: “He has a solid game. He has wonderful tempo, and a nice short game. He’ll be a force to be reckoned with for a long time.”

Stewart, 36, said he has matured in the last year. He was frustrated because he went 13 holes before he made a birdie.

“In years past, I would have lost my patience and made mistakes. I didn’t do that today,” he said.

Janzen, who attended Florida Southern, is trying to improve his public image in interview sessions.

“Andrea Kirby has been hired by the tour, and they’ve been doing seminars on different stops on the tour to help us be more ourselves,” Janzen said.

Someone reminded Janzen that he has played golf with Charles Barkley. Did he get any tips on how to deal with the media?

“Charles is very colorful in his interviews,” Janzen said. “He says he’s the best-looking guy in the world. How can you top that?”

Janzen may not be able to top Barkley in interviews, but a U.S. Open championship would certainly enhance his career.

Golf Notes

There was a weather watch during the round, but the thunderstorm predicted for this area didn’t materialize until early Saturday evening. . . . Fred Funk, John Adams, Australia’s Craig Parry, Wayne Levi, Mike Standly and Tom Watson are six strokes behind Lee Janzen at one-under 209. John Daly, who was six strokes behind Janzen after 36 holes, had a 72 for a 54-hole score of 212. He hit a poor drive on the 630-yard 17th hole and couldn’t go for the green with his second shot.

Mike Donald, the virtually unknown player who lost to Hale Irwin in a 19-hole playoff in the 1990 U.S. Open, is making a creditable showing here. Donald, playing early on Saturday, shot a three-under-par 67 for 54-hole score of 210. “I haven’t played well in a long time, so this feels good.” Asked why he has been in a slump, Donald said: “After the 1990 Open, my expectations changed. I was trying to play better than I am. I was trying too hard to be good. My game is to chip and scratch and get out there and jab ‘em to death.”

* QUICK STUDY: Ted Oh, a 16-year-old amateur from Torrance High, missed the cut but made an impression. C10