Golf
Roundup: Lehman seeks return to glory

By The Associated Press

JOE CAVARETTA / AP Tom Lehman watches his tee shot on the ninth hole yesterday during the third round of the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas.

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LAS VEGAS — Tom Lehman would love nothing better than to return to the days when he was a contender every time he teed it up and the big question was how many major championships he might end up winning.

Those days ended when Lehman stopped making putts, and it has been nearly five years since he won a tournament of any kind.

But after taking the third-round lead in the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas, Lehman allowed himself time to think about what still could be if he could find a way to win again.

"It would be gratifying. It would renew my belief in myself," the 45-year-old said. "I think I'm that kind of player, but after the last few years it's kind of slipped away from me."

Lehman, using a long putter he put back in his bag last month, shot a 66 yesterday to take a one-stroke lead over Dicky Pride and Andre Stolz. Seven other players were another shot back on a day when the wind picked up in the afternoon to hold down scoring.

Lehman took advantage of his morning tee time to hit 17 greens, but it was his putting that helped him make eight birdies for his first 54-hole lead in five years.

"The putting has been the thing that has been just driving me crazy the last three years," he said. "I've been hitting it basically well and, at times, very well with nothing to show for it."

Lehman was at 17 under and in the final pairing on a Sunday for the first time since the Buick Open in 1999.

Once thought of as one of the premier players on the PGA Tour, Lehman's stature has slipped in recent years as he struggled with his putting. He switches between the long putter and the more traditional putter occasionally, and did so again after shooting a 74 in the first round of the Canadian Open last month.

"I used it a couple of years ago and then gave up on it," Lehman said of the long putter. "I use it off and on. It's always back and forth. And it was time to kind of give in, give up and go in a different direction."
 
The direction has been the right one so far. Lehman is averaging 70.48 strokes a round this year, but has been 37 under in the 10 rounds he has played since switching putters.

Lehman has won five times on the PGA Tour. He was a regular on the U.S. Ryder Cup teams of the 1990s and won the British Open in 1996.

Pride, a nonexempt player, goes from tournament to tournament hoping he can get in and then trying to earn a check. So far this year, he has made 21 tournaments but his best finish is a tie for 54th. He shot a 66.

Stolz had a 65.

"I'm kind of weird," Stolz said. "When I play well, I play really, really well. But when I play bad, I'm horrible.

"I need to fix that."

Other tournaments

• Liselotte Neumann moved closer to her first LPGA Tour victory in six years, firing a 69 for a one-shot lead at the LPGA Asahi Ryokuken International Championship in North Augusta, S.C.

At 11-under 205, Neumann was a stroke ahead of Becky Morgan (70) and three in front of Sophie Gustafson (66), Grace Park (68), Laura Davies (70) and Cristie Kerr (70).

Neumann has won four of five tournaments when leading entering the final round.

• Luke Donald shot a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke lead heading into today's final round of the Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Donald was at 17-under 199. Ian Poulter (65) and David Howell (71) were at 201.

• Wayne Levi shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead over D.A. Weibring after two rounds of the Administaff Small Business Classic, a Champions Tour event in Spring, Texas.

Levi, coming off a victory at the Constellation Energy Classic and bidding for consecutive wins for the first time in his career, moved to 13-under 131. Weibring shot a 65.