Field Bunched for Nelson Finale

Even before he teed it up Saturday with a share of the lead, Scott Verplank noticed on the electronic scoreboard that Justin Leonard was on his way to a tournament-tying 61 in the Byron Nelson Classic at Irving, Texas.

“When you see that, obviously low scores can be shot,” Verplank said.

Only Verplank couldn’t manage one.

Neither could co-leader David Duval. Nor Tiger Woods.

The best news for Verplank on a day of wasted chances was that his bogey-free two-under-par 68 still left him in a tie for the lead, with Robert Damron.

“I could have put some distance between myself,” said Verplank, who joined Damron (67) at 13-under 197. “It’ll be a lot more exciting.”

It should be a classic Texas shootout--Leonard and Vijay Singh (67) one stroke behind, 11 players within three shots of the lead, and 32 players within six shots.

It didn’t have to be that way. With overnight rain making the TPC at Las Colinas play as easy as it has all week, Verplank made only two birdies--a 12-footer on No. 4 and a five-footer on No. 16.

Duval made five bogeys, three times missing the green that left him virtually no shot at par, but birdied the last for a 70 and was at 199 along with Brian Watts (63), Mike Weir (65) and Nick Price (65).

Woods squandered a chance to make a move by making three bogeys on the back nine for a 69. He was at 203.

“I struggled all day and have a lot of work to do,” Woods told a tour official. He went straight to the practice range after his round.

Leonard, who has never had a top-10 finish in his hometown tournament and last year opened with an 80, was headed for another ho-hum finish when he reached the turn. Starting with a 40-foot putt, he made birdies on the first two and final four holes for a 29 for his career-low round.

“I’ve played a lot of bad rounds on this golf course and at this tournament,” Leonard said. “All those people have seen and been with me through all those poor rounds. Today is kind of a nice way to pay them back.”

Hale Irwin defeated Lanny Wadkins and Gil Morgan to advance to the semifinals of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Match Play Championship at Augusta, Mo.

Irwin, the tournament winner in stroke play in 1997 and 1999, beat Wadkins, 4 and 3, and topped Morgan, 5 and 4, in the quarterfinals on the Boone Valley Country Club course.

“I didn’t play great,” Irwin said. “I played very good match-play golf where I tried not to give anything away.

“I’m not overly impressed with the way I’ve been putting, I’ve just been hitting my irons fairly well.”

The three-time U.S. Open champion will face Leonard Thompson today. Bob Gilder and Argentina’s Vicente Fernandez will meet in the other semifinal.

Defending champion Pat Hurst birdied her final hole to take a one-stroke lead over Annika Sorenstam and Catriona Matthew in the Electrolux USA Championship at Franklin, Tenn.

Hurst shot a two-under 70 for an 11-under 205 total in the rain-plagued tournament. About half of the players were unable to complete the third round because of darkness.

Sorenstam, the Swedish star seeking her second consecutive victory and sixth in her last seven starts, completed a second-round 67 and shot a 70 in the third round.

Matthew played 33 holes Saturday. The Scot finished the second round with a 71 and added a 69 in the third.

For Hurst and Sorenstam, it’s a familiar position.

Hurst led Sorenstam by 10 strokes going into the final round of the Office Depot event at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles last month before the Swede rallied and recorded her fourth consecutive victory, in a playoff.