Edwards Blows Into Lead With a 65

For a guy who needed the utmost perseverance to get his first PGA Tour victory, Joel Edwards seems downright impatient for No. 2.

Edwards defied chilly, windy conditions to shoot a seven-under-par 65 Saturday, giving him a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Buick Challenge at Pine Mountain, Ga.

“Someone can jump up and get you every week,” said Davis Love III, who was one shot back after giving up the second-round lead.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be Phil Mickelson or David Duval. There’s so many great players out here.

“Joel Edwards is a great player. When he gets going, he’s as good as anybody.”

Problem is, it took the 39-year-old Texan a long time to get going.

This is only the second time Edwards has led a tournament after 54 holes.

The first came less than two months ago at the Air Canada Championship near Vancouver, when he pushed a three-stroke advantage to a seven-stroke runaway.

That victory ended a streak of 315 winless tournaments, the longest for an inaugural champion.

Now, only 56 days later, Edwards is in position to win again.

Edwards, who had an eagle at No. 11, was at 18-under 198 after the best round of the day on the Mountain View course at Callaway Gardens.

Neal Lancaster had a 68 and was two strokes behind Edwards.

Chris DiMarco bogeyed the last two holes for a 71, but the 202 total left him only four shots off the lead. Bob Estes and Per-Ulrik Johansson were at 203.

Bruce Lietzke shot three under for the final six holes for a 69 to maintain a one-shot lead over Bob Gilder heading into the final round of the Senior Tour Championship at Oklahoma City.

Lietzke, coming off a course-record 63 Friday, struggled most of the day as the greens firmed up under a southeasterly breeze.

But birdies on Nos. 14, 16 and 18 kept him ahead of the late-charging Gilder, who birdied No. 17 and eagled the par-five 18th to move to 12 under.

Local favorite Gil Morgan shot an even-par 72 to remain at eight under. Tied at seven under are Tom Kite, Walter Hall, who made four consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-5, and Doug Tewell.

Tom Watson was nine under after nine holes, but a double bogey on No. 16 contributed to a slide that left him at five under.

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Top-seeded Annika Sorenstam defeated Scotland’s Mhairi McKay, 3 and 1, and second-seeded Se Ri Pak of South Korea ousted Australia’s Rachel Teske, 3 and 2, in the quarterfinals of the World Ladies Match Play Championship at Narita, Japan.

Canada’s Lorie Kane defeated Emilee Klein, 4 and 3, and Taiwan’s Huang Yu-chen eliminated countrywoman Aki Takamura, 1-up.

Kane will play Sorenstam and Pak faces Huang in today’s semifinals.

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U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen shot a five-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Madrid Open.

Goosen was at 17-under 196. If the South African finishes in the top six, he will claim the No. 1 spot on the European money list.

Spain’s Diego Borrego (64), England’s Steve Webster (68) and Ireland’s David Higgins (69) are tied at 198.