Mattiace Shoots 65 to Take Lead

Len Mattiace shot a seven-under-par 65 Saturday at the Disney Golf Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., giving him a two-stroke lead over David Duval and putting him in the final group for the first time in his two years on the PGA Tour.

“It’s kind of weird,” said Mattiace, stepping in from a steady rain that fell throughout the third round.

“I had to find some type of medium where if you don’t try at all, you’re not going to play well. If you try too hard, you’re going to fall on your face. Right in between there, that’s where I play my best.”

Mattiace was at 18-under 198 through three rounds.

Duval had a chance to tie Mattiace on his last hole, but he dumped his approach on No. 9 in the bunker and finished with a bogey and a round of 65.

He and Duval will be joined by Payne Stewart, who led after each of the first two rounds until one of the more frustrating rounds of 70 in golf. Stewart putted for birdie 16 times, but made only two of them.

“I didn’t shoot myself in the foot,” Stewart said. “I’m not out of the golf tournament. If I can hit 16 greens tomorrow, I’ll shoot better than 70.”

*

Mark O’Meara moved closer to becoming the first player in 11 years to win consecutive Dunhill Cups, leading the United States into the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over England at St. Andrews, Scotland.

A member of the U.S. team that won the title last year, O’Meara chipped in for an eagle three at the 14th hole and birdied the 18th from 18 inches to overcome Lee Westwood by two strokes with a five-under 67.

With Brad Faxon shooting a 70 to beat Russell Claydon by three shots and Justin Leonard firing a 69 to down Mark James by three, the Americans improved their tournament record to 8-1 with victories over Argentina, Japan and England.

They will meet Sweden, a 2-1 winner over Australia, in today’s semifinal. The other semifinal will be between South Africa and New Zealand.

*

Bruce Summerhays shot a six-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Hale Irwin after the second round of the Senior PGA Tour’s Kaanapali Classic in Hawaii.

Summerhays matched the tournament 36-hole record with a 13-under 129 total. Irwin shot a 63.

*

Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson fired a six-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over American Chris Johnson after the third round of the World Championship of Women’s Golf at Seoul.

Alfredsson, who had nine birdies and three bogeys for a 54-hole total of nine-under 207, made a 21-foot birdie putt at the par-four 18th hole to move one shot ahead of Johnson, who shot a 67.

*

Steve Flesch shot his second consecutive four-under 68 at the Nike Tour Championship in Opelika, Ala., where his 11-under 205 total was good enough for a four-stroke lead over J.L. Lewis.

Twenty-fourth on the money list, the 30-year-old left-hander needs a top-four finish in the $300,000 event to finish in the top 15 for an automatic berth on the 1998 PGA Tour. Lewis, who shot a course-record 66, is 16th on the money list.