Golf Roundup : Byrum’s 67 Enough for One-Stroke Lead at Las Vegas

Curt Byrum capped a five-under-par 67 with birdies on his last two holes to take a one-shot lead Saturday in the third round of the $1,388,899 Las Vegas Invitational tournament.

“I’m fortunate to be there (in the lead),” Byrum said after his round at Spanish Trail gave him a 54-hole total of 204.

“Part of the deal is the draw. The guys who were stuck at Spanish Trail (during the severe windstorms Thursday and Friday) got the worst of it,” said Byrum, a nonwinner in four season on the PGA Tour.

Spanish Trail, the most exposed of the three courses used in the tournament, took the brunt of the wind blasts that were clocked at 55 m.p.h. Thursday, forcing an overnight postponement of play and reducing the original 5-day, 90-hole format to 4 days and 72 holes.

The tournament ends today with 18 holes at the Las Vegas Country Club.

Ben Crenshaw also had a 67 at Spanish Trail and moved into second place at 205, a total matched by Peter Jacobsen, who birdied the last hole at Spanish Trail for a 68.

Gary Koch was next at 207 after a 66, also at Spanish Trail.

The group at 208 included second-round leader Bob Lohr, Rick Fehr, Davis Love III, Gene Sauers, Payne Stewart and David Canipe.

Greg Norman, who caught the worst of the weather Thursday and Friday, rallied with a 66 at the Las Vegas Country Club and insisted it was good enough to put him back in the tournament at 209, five shots off the pace.

“I didn’t birdie any of the par-5s. I feel very strongly that I can shoot 62 on this course and get in the hunt,” said Norman, who has finished first and second in his last two starts.

Sherri Turner overtook first-round leader Kim Shipman with a four-under-par 68 for a one-shot lead over Betsy King and Missie Berteotti after Saturday’s second round of the LPGA’s $300,000 Crestar tournament at Suffolk, Va.

Turner is at 136 for two trips around the 6,215-yard Portsmouth Sleepy Hole course.

King was tied with with Turner going into the 18th hole, where she got into trouble while trying to reach the green in two on the par-5 hole. King had to take a drop from a hazard, was assessed a penalty stroke and bogeyed the hole to finish with a 68.

Berteotti, winless in her third year on the Tour, followed an opening-round 68 with a 69.

Shipman entered the second round with a three-shot edge after a career-best 65 Friday, but struggled to a 74 and was at 139.

Dale Douglass shot a seven-under-par 65 to move into a three-way tie for the lead with defending champion Chi Chi Rodrigues and Billy Casper entering the final round of the $250,000 Vantage Seniors tournament at San Antonio, Tex..

The three are at 138 after two rounds on the 6,649-yard Dominion Country Club course.

Rodriguez shot a 67; Casper had a 68.

Tied for fourth at 139 were Don January, Charles Coody, Bob Nichols and Al Geiberger.

The winner of the $35,000 Vantage Super Seniors competition for seniors 60 years of age and older was Doug Ford who shot a 71-72-143.