Golf Roundup : Some Red-Hot Putting Helps Green to a 64, 2-Stroke Doral Lead

PGA champion Hubert Green birdied five holes in a row and one-putted his way to an eight-under-par 64 that lifted him into a two-stroke lead Saturday in the third round of the $500,000 Doral-Eastern Open golf tournament at Miami.

The veteran Green, who started the day’s play seven shots off the pace, made up that deficit with a 29--the best nine-hole total of the year--over the front side.

He did it on the strength of his putter, chipping in once and one-putting seven times, giving him only nine strokes on the greens over the first nine holes.

He birdied twice and one-putted for par on three other holes over the back nine and finished the day’s play with 22 putts and a 54-hole total of 204.

Tom Kite, a three-stroke leader after 36 holes, had to scramble for a 73 and dropped back to second place at 206.

Andy Bean, a two-time winner here, Jim Thorpe and D.A. Weibring were another stroke back at 207. Bean had a 68, Thorpe a 70 and Weibring a 71 in the warm, windy weather.

Marci Bozarth and Juli Inkster each rolled in birdie putts on the final hole Saturday to share the lead at 206 after three rounds of the $300,000 Women’s Kemper Open at Princeville, Hawaii.

Her three-under-par 69 was a shot better than the round posted by Inkster, who started the day one stroke behind second-round leader Chris Johnson.

Johnson birdied the first two holes on the back nine but bogeyed the 16th and 17th for a 73 that put her two strokes behind the co-leaders. Former Kemper winner Amy Alcott shot a 69 to tie Johnson at 208.