Non-Winner Tolles Still the Player to Beat

Never in the 22-year history of The Players Championship has it been won by someone who has never won on the PGA Tour.

Tommy Tolles can change that. So can David Duval. Or Michael Bradley.

Tolles, a 29-year-old in only his second year on the tour, handled a steady rain and the pressure of playing in the last group of the day to shoot a 69 in the third round on Saturday on the TPC Stadium Course at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Tolles is at 14-under-par 202, two strokes better than Duval. Bradley is three back at 205 along with Jay Haas.

In a tournament in which Greg Norman and Nick Faldo missed the cut, Tolles has made only two bogeys in 54 holes.

“Today’s round was almost as good as yesterday’s,” Tolles said, referring to his second-round 64 that gave him a two-shot lead. “I was always in the fairway, I was always on the greens, I was getting my two-putts.”

He will certainly be tested in today’s final round. Seven players are at 10 under par, four strokes back, including Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples and Vijay Singh. Four others, including Phil Mickelson and John Daly, are at nine under.

“For years I watched Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman walk down the 18th hole,” Tolles said. “It’s got to be the most incredible feeling ever. It’s something I’d like to give myself the opportunity to have.”

If either Tolles, Duval, 24, or Bradley, 29, win it would be the fourth consecutive week the PGA Tour has had a first-time winner, a streak that began after Bradley finished second at Doral a month ago.

“Maybe I opened the door,” Bradley said after his 66. “I guess the guys said, ‘If Bradley can finish second I can win.’ ”

Tim Herron won the Honda and Paul Goydos won at Bay Hill. Then last week Tolles was in the hunt in New Orleans, playing in the last group on Sunday and finishing third behind Tom Watson and first-time winner Scott McCarron.

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Bob Dickson shot a 68 to move into a four-way tie for the lead at $650,000 SBC Dominion Seniors tournament at San Antonio. Tom Weiskopf, Graham Marsh and Larry Mowry are also at six-under 138.

First-round co-leader Ray Floyd dropped six off the pace with a 76. Charlie Epps, the other first-round co-leader, had a 73.