Garcia Holding to Lead

Sergio Garcia wore a big smile and an easy air of confidence after Sunday’s third round of the Buick Classic at Harrison, N.Y. With a two-stroke lead over his closest pursuer and an eight-stroke cushion over Tiger Woods, who could blame him?

“He can still shoot a good round and finish well,” Garcia said of Woods. But he left little doubt that anyone eight strokes behind with 18 holes to play, be they Tiger Woods or any other golfer, are not of primary concern.

Not with the way Garcia is playing.

“It’s not on my mind right now. I’m more focused on Scott Hoch and J.P. Hayes,” Garcia said.

Woods showed flashes of brilliance at the rain-delayed tournament, but in the end his three-under-par 68, lost ground to Garcia’s 66.

Hoch, who also had a 68, was alone in second at 10-under 203, two strokes behind Garcia heading into today’s final round. At 204, Hayes was a shot behind Hoch. Russ Cochran, Stewart Cink and Gabriel Hjertsted were all at 206.

“I’m going to have to play a great round,” Woods said. “When you’re this far behind, you’re going to need a little help. The way the guys on top of the board are playing, it’s going to be awfully tough to catch them.”

The largest third-round deficit Woods has made up to win on the PGA Tour was five shots in the 2000 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. This is also the first time Garcia will have the lead heading into the final round in a PGA event.

Garcia is seeking his second career PGA Tour victory after winning at Colonial five weeks ago. That followed several near misses on tour, including at the Buick Classic last year where he finished third.

Earlier, with a huge gallery slogging behind him through the mud and wet rough, Woods birdied Nos. 2, 4, 7 and 9 to make the turn at five under. With Garcia and Hoch yet to tee off, that great start threw Woods high up on the leaderboard.

But Woods had to scramble for a par on the short par-four 10th, normally a birdie hole for him, and he made bogey at No. 11 after missing the green with his approach and rimming out a 5-footer for par. He also failed to birdie the par-five 18th when he hit a second-shot six-iron short instead of a cutting an easy five-iron.

Woods, who was tied for 118th after a miserable four-over 75 in his first round here, was tied for 12th after the third round with Paul Azinger, Kevin Sutherland and Mark Wiebe.

Larry Nelson won the FleetBoston Classic at Concord, Mass., after Tom Kite’s tee shot on the 17th hole hit an airborne bird and fell into a pond, leaving him with a double bogey and dropping him out of contention.

The defending champion shot a five-under 67 on the Nashawtuc Country Club course to finish three strokes ahead of Bruce Fleisher and four ahead of Kite and Mike Hill in the final tuneup for the U.S. Senior Open. Nelson, who had to withdraw from the NFL Classic two weeks ago because of a pinched nerve, had a 15-under 201.

Kite was the only other player to reach 13 under at any point in the round. He was alone in second place and one stroke behind Nelson when he hit what appeared to be a perfect tee shot on the 167-yard, par-three 17th.

But the ball struck a purple martin, killing it and knocking the ball into the water. Kite took a drop on the bank of the pond, then chipped the ball onto the green and two-putted for a five. He parred No. 18 to finish at 11 under.

Nelson, who had only one bogey on the day and just two in the 54-hole tournament, birdied No. 18 to ease into the victory. It was the 14th title of his senior career, but it was the first time he has successfully defended a title.

Fleisher shot 66 to finish at 12 under. Kite wound up with a 67 and Hill, the second-round leader, shot a 72 to tie for third at 11 under.

Taiwan’s Candie Kung won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, defeating Missy Farr-Kaye 2-up at Kemper Lakes in Long Grove, Ill.

Kung, 19, the qualifying medalist, left USC last spring after finishing third in the NCAA tournament as a sophomore.

Farr-Kaye, 33, a breast cancer survivor, was trying to join her late sister as a Public Links champion. Heather Farr, who died of breast cancer in 1994, won the 1984 tournament.