Tuesday, July 29, 2003
TURNBERRY, Scotland (AP) -- Carl Mason shot a 5-under-par 65 Saturday for a one-stroke lead over D.A. Weibring after three rounds at the Senior British Open.
Mason, the second-round leader, moved to 14-under 196. Weibring also shot 65 and was at 13-under 197, two strokes ahead of Tom Watson, Tom Kite and Bruce Summerhays, who shot 66s and are tied for third at 199.
Mason, an unheralded Englishman, charged into the lead of the Champions Tour's newest major with opening rounds of 67 and 64 at the Turnberry Links.
Mason played the first two rounds with Watson and Jack Nicklaus. The Watson-Nicklaus pairing was billed as a rematch of their 1977 "duel in the sun" in the British Open on the same links.
Watson won that tournament, but Mason has commanded the attention this year.
Mason had a streak of 43 holes without a bogey before failing to make par at the 13th.
Heading to the 18th tied with Weibring at 13 under, Mason pitched to 5 feet and made the birdie putt for a one-stroke lead heading into today's final round.
Weibring, who opened with a 63, made five birdies in a bogey-free round.
Watson's only bogey came at 13th after he hit his pitch shot over the green.
Kite had a double-bogey 7 at the 17th and made his sixth birdie of the round at No. 18.
Nicklaus also took advantage of the calm, sunny conditions with birdies at the fourth, 10th, 12th and 13th to move to 8 under.
But Nicklaus, looking for his first victory since 1996, made bogey at Nos. 15 and 18 for a his second straight 67. He was tied for ninth at 6-under 204.
Defending champion Noboru Sugai of Japan bogeyed four of the first six holes and bogeyed three straight starting at No. 12. He made an eagle at the 17th and a birdie at the 18th for a 72 and was well off the pace at 2-over 212.
Sugai wasn't too disappointed with his play.
"This year, my golf has not been good enough," he said through an interpreter. "The field is a lot stronger and now people have come here to really recognize the tournament as a big one."