Beem Doesn’t Fade in Spotlight

In his first full round under the glare of big galleries and cameras, Rich Beem made almost every hole an adventure. In the end, the brilliant birdies and bad bogeys canceled each other out and he finished with a share of the Kemper Open lead.

The 28-year-old rookie shot a par round of 71, including five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey, to tie Tommy Armour III after Saturday’s third round at Potomac, Md.

“I do tend to hit it all over the place once in a while,” said Beem, who led after the first and second rounds and has a nine-under 204 total. “It was one of the tougher rounds I have had in a long time, and it took a lot of guts for me to hang in there.”

Beem worked his way to 11 under and a three-stroke lead before a calamitous back nine. He trailed Armour by one before making a six-foot putt at the 18th, and he celebrated by pumping his fists.

“I am going to go out there with one scenario, and this is winning,” said Beem, whose pro experience consisted of minor tournaments in New Mexico and west Texas until he earned a spot on this year’s PGA Tour at qualifying school. “I have come this far, I have nothing to lose. Only good things can happen by coming out and playing aggressive the way I have the last few days.”

While Beem was erratic, Armour shot a steady 68 and was bogey-free until he got his first lead. Armour, whose only PGA Tour victory came at the Phoenix Open in 1990, dropped a shot when he found the rough at the 16th, but got it back with a seven-iron to three feet for birdie at the par-three 17th.

*

Rosie Jones knows she’s in a precarious position. She’s in the lead of the Corning Classic.

“I’ll try to go to bed thinking I’m not in front at all,” said Jones, who heads into today’s final round at Corning, N.Y., one stroke ahead of Kelli Kuehne and several others close behind. “Sometimes I play better thinking I’m down by one or two.”

Jones, the local favorite whose playoff win over Tammie Green in 1997 gave her consecutive Corning titles, was at nine under after shooting a second 68 in a row for a three-day total of 207.

Jean Bartholomew led until she double-bogeyed Nos. 13 and 14 and dropped to 211. Kathryn Marshall was at 209, followed by Hiromi Kobayashi and former Corning champion Sherri Turner another stroke back. Stefania Croce and Denise Killeen were tied with Bartholomew at 211.

Kuehne stayed close with a 70.

*

Bruce Summerhays shot a four-under 68 and held a one-stroke lead over four players after two rounds of the Boone Valley Classic at Augusta, Mo.

That isn’t necessarily great news for Summerhays, who has not done well in the past when leading entering the final round of a Senior PGA Tour event.

Frank Conner, who shot a record-tying nine-under 63, was tied for second with Kermit Zarley, Jim Dent and Tom Shaw.

“The two tournaments I’ve won, I was chasing the leaders going into the final round,” said Summerhays, who was at nine-under 135 for 36 holes. “I’ve been in the lead before and not won several times and I’m probably a better chaser right now, but maybe we can change that.”

In Front

Leaders through Saturday (Complete scores, Page 14):

KEMPER OPEN--PAR 71

Tommy Armour III: 68-68-68--204 -9

Rich Beem: 66-67-71--204 -9

Bill Glasson: 67-70-69--206 -7

Emlyn Aubrey: 71-70-66--207 -6

CORNING CLASSIC--PAR 72

Rosie Jones: 71-68-68--207 -9

Kelli Kuehne: 69-69-70--208 -8

Kathryn Marshall: 67-72-70--209 -7

Hiromi Kobayashi: 68-72-70--210 -6

Sherri Turner: 67-72-71--210 -6

BOONE VALLEY CLASSIC--PAR 72

Bruce Summerhays: 67-68--135 -9

Frank Conner: 73-63--136 -8

Tom Shaw: 70-66--136 -8

Kermit Zarley: 70-66--136 -8

Jim Dent: 66-70--136 -8