GOLF ROUNDUP : Dawson (64) May Win on Concentration

Marco Dawson, a rookie on the PGA Tour, played like a veteran in shooting a 64 on Saturday and will take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the $1-million Buick Open at Grand Blanc, Mich.

“I call it tunnel vision,” Dawson said. “I block out the crowds, the scoreboards and everything else and just concentrate on what I’m trying to do. For some reason, it works better when I’m ahead than when I’m behind.”

Dawson has a three-round total of 200, 16 under par, and a two-shot lead over Nick Faldo and defending champion Chip Beck.

Faldo, winner of two British Opens and two Masters championships, had a bogey on the final hole for a 65. Beck, who has not made bogey in 54 holes, shot 68.

Dawson will be paired with Faldo in the final round today at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

“I don’t think I’ll be intimidated, but we won’t know until I get out there,” Dawson said.

Dawson, 27, won 12 mini-tour events before finally earning his PGA Tour card by finishing 23rd in the 1990 class, his fourth try at earning a card.

Second-round leader Greg Norman, Bill Britton and Howard Twitty were at 203, one stroke ahead of Hal Sutton, Tim Simpson, Gene Sauers and Lee Janzen.

Dawson started the third round four shots behind Norman. Four birdies on the front got Dawson to 12 under. On the back he birdied 13th and 14th to go 14 under.

Since he had decided not to look at the electronic scoreboards around the course, Dawson didn’t know that Faldo made bogey on the final hole to finish at 14 under. Still, Dawson pumped his fist after rolling in a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th to take the lead. He added a 15-footer for birdie on the 18th.

George Archer, the defending champion, shot a five-under-par 67 to tie Larry Laoretti for the lead after 36 holes of the Northville Long Island tournament at Jericho, N.Y. They have two-round totals of 135 in the Senior Tour event.

Laoretti, in a three-way tie for first place with Jim Colbert and Homero Blancas after the first round, had an eagle on the par-five, 505-yard opening hole en route to a 68.

Colbert, who had a 71, dropped into a five-way tie for third at 138 with J.C. Snead, Dick Hendrickson, Bob Charles and Jim Dent.

Blancas shot 76 for 143 on the par-72, 6,655-yard course.

Chi Chi Rodriguez, who has four victories on the Senior Tour this year, had 71 for 142. Lee Trevino, after a 78 in the opening round, tied the course record with a 66 for 144.

Archer, who had seven birdies and two bogeys, said, “In my 30 years on the tour, I’ve never won in the hot summer heat. It has been 95 these two rounds, so maybe it’s going to be my turn. Last year when I won, it was about 10 degrees cooler.”

Juli Inkster, seeking her second consecutive victory, shot a seven-under-oar 65 to build a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the LPGA event in Vienna, Ohio.

Inkster shot the lowest round of the day for a 135, nine under, through two rounds at the Squaw Creek Country Club.

Three shots back were first-round leader Danielle Ammaccapane, who followed a 66 with a 72, and Pat Bradley, who shot her second consecutive 69.

Inkster’s sand wedge was the key to her round, leaving her with short birdie putts throughout the day. She hit an eight-iron to four feet of the cup at the third hole and sand wedges at the fourth and seventh holes for tap-in birdies.

Ian Woosnam shot a bogey-free, nine-under-par 63 for a two-stroke lead after the third round of the $1-million Scandinavian Masters at Stockholm.

The Welshman, who has already one U.S. and one British Masters title, birdied seven holes and had one eagle for a 54-hole total of 199, 17 under entering today’s final round.

Phil Mickelson is two matches away from accomplishing the rare feat of winning the Western Amateur medalist trophy and the tournament championship.

The 21-year-old from San Diego battled from behind for a pair of 2 and 1 victories in the opening match play events of the tournament at Benton Harbor, Mich.

Emilee Klein of Studio City won the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, defeated Kimberly Marshall of Bermuda, 3 and 2, at the Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kan.