Tewell’s Margin Is Only Two

Something was different the third time Doug Tewell had occasion to blast out of a bunker during the third round of the Tradition, and it changed the feel of the tournament at Scottsdale, Ariz.

Tewell, who holed out from the sand twice earlier Saturday, shanked his shot out of a trap on the final hole, bogeyed and wound up with a two-under-par 70 that cut his lead over Mike McCullough and Larry Nelson to two shots.

At 13-under 203, Tewell still has the lead he has held since the first round, and is in position to pick up his second senior major title.

“Unfortunately, I made a few bogeys today, but the idea is to stay in the lead, and that’s the idea tomorrow,” he said.

Nelson said everything is still up for grabs. “A lot of me having a chance will depend on how Doug plays,” he said. “But I won’t be watching Doug, because if I do, somebody will come from behind and maybe catch both of us.”

Nelson and McCullough, each two-time winners this year, carded 69s to close the gap, and Tom Wargo was in fourth place after an uneven 71 that left him at 207.

Nelson blunted his five birdies with back-to-back bogeys on the front nine. McCullough had four bogeys to offset an eagle and four birdies but still became the only player to shoot in the 60s all three days.

Tewell had only two birdies with a traditional one-putt green, but gained three shots with his chips for birdie and eagle.

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Vijay Singh might need a victory more to ease his mind than anything else.

“I am putting a lot of pressure on myself finishing well in quite a few events and not winning. It kind of takes a toll after awhile,” said Singh, who birdied the final two holes for a four-under 67 and the lead at the WorldCom Classic at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Singh was at 13-under 200, two in front of Jose Coceres of Argentina and Billy Mayfair after three rounds at Harbour Town Golf Links. Coceres had the day’s best round--a 64--and Mayfair shot 69.

Singh, who did win consecutive European tour events in Malaysia and Singapore two months ago, has been close nearly every week on the PGA Tour. But he has yet to break through in 2001.

He opened with a birdie on No. 1, then took the lead for the first time at 11 under with a nine-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole. After bogeys on the seventh and ninth holes dropped him back, Singh recovered with four back-nine birdies. Singh put a nine-iron about 10 feet from the flag on the 17th hole, then rolled in a 10-foot birdie on the lighthouse hole to close his round.