Sutton Maintains His Standing

Despite committing one of golf’s biggest sins, four-putting, Hal Sutton shot an even-par 72 on Saturday to hold a three-stroke lead heading into today’s final round of the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic at Greensboro, N.C.

Sutton’s four putt led to a double bogey on the fifth green. But he refused to unravel or let the field catch him.

“As a younger player you panic in a situation like that. I’ve done that before,” Sutton said. “It’s hard to come back from something like that as a younger player. I’ve learned my lesson several times, so I needed to put that to use.”

Cool temperatures, windy conditions and slick greens at Forest Oaks Country Club made it difficult for Sutton to come close to duplicating his 11-birdie performance in the second round.

He hit only five of 18 greens in regulation and eight of 14 fairways, but few in the field made up any ground on the 20-year PGA Tour veteran as Sutton finished at 13-under 203 for a three-stroke lead over Andrew Magee.

“There’s a lot of good things about today’s round because I held it together,” Sutton said. “And it could have easily gotten away from me.”

Magee matched Davis Love III for the low round of the day, making an eight-footer for birdie on No. 18 to close with a 68 for a three-day total of 10-under 206.

“You can’t rattle Hal,” Magee said. “He’s a solid veteran. He’s not going to shoot 75 [today]. I know what I have to do. I have to play great golf.”

Love, a former Greensboro champion, was six shots back and tied for fifth at 209.

“I’m back in the race maybe for second,” Love said when asked if he could catch Sutton. “I figured I needed to get at least into double digits to have a chance.”

Barry Cheesman started the day in second, five shots behind Sutton, and kept pace with his playing partner before bogeying three of his final five holes to shoot a 73 and drop into a tie with Love and several others at seven under.

Omar Uresti and Dudley Hart, who each shot 69, were tied for third at 208.

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Larry Nelson, the runner-up in his last three events, shot a six-under 66 for a share of the second-round lead with Bruce Fleisher in the Las Vegas Senior Classic.

Nelson, a three-time major championship winner on the PGA Tour who has five senior victories, matched Fleisher at 11-under 133 on the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin.

Fleisher, seeking his third victory of the year and 10th in two seasons, shot a 67.

Gil Morgan was a stroke back after a 66. David Lundstrom shot a 67 for a 135 total, and Hugh Baiocchi, who shot a 67, and Dave Stockton, who had a 70, followed at 136.

First-round leaders Doug Tewell and Bob Murphy dropped back. Tewell, coming off a victory Monday in the PGA Seniors’ Championship, shot a 73 for a 138 total, and Murphy had a 76 for a 141 total.