LAS VEGAS (Nevada), Oct 13: Australia’s Craig Parry was one of the few players who found the cool, windy conditions to his liking on Friday, returning a six-under-par 66 to lead on 196 after the third round of the $4.5 million Las Vegas Classic.
Parry made a fast start at the TPC at Summerlin — one of three courses used on the first three days of the 90-hole event — birdying the opening hole and then making a rare albatross two on the par-five third when he holed a six-iron from 187 yards.
Overnight leader Tom Lehman was unable to recapture the form that helped him start 63-62, but the 42-year-old American’s 72 kept him firmly in the hunt for the title one stroke behind Parry on 197 — 18 under par.
A further shot adrift on 198 were St Jude Classic winner Bob Estes (67) and Scott McCarron (65).
Parry has won 18 times around the world, but never on the U.S. PGA Tour. He has been a runner-up four times, most recently losing out to South African Ernie Els at the 1996 Buick Classic.
The 35-year-old Australian followed up his blistering start by collecting back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th. He dropped a shot at the 17th but hit back with a birdie at the last hole.
Lehman, who set the 36-hole tournament record on Thursday, struggled to navigate the TPC at the Canyons course, carding only one birdie against two bogeys. He had 19 birdies in his opening two rounds.
The entire field will play the last two rounds at the par-72 TPC at Summerlin.
Leading scores:
196 Craig Parry (Australia) 64 66 66
197 Tom Lehman 63 62 72
198 Bob Estes 65 66 67, Scott McCarron 68 65 65
199 Steve Flesch 65 67 67, Fred Couples 63 64 72
200 Bob May 69 66 65, Andrew Magee 67 67 66
201 Chris DiMarco 68 61 72, John Daly 67 62 72
202 Davis Love III 69 65 68, Lee Janzen 67 67 68, Chris Riley 69 65 68, Robert Allenby (Australia) 66 65 71, Olin Browne 70 65 67
203 Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 64 67 72, Fulton Allem (South Africa) 68 69 66, Cameron Beckman 67 67 69
204 Pete Jordan 67 66 71, Billy Mayfair 70 66 68, Joe Ogilvie 64 70 70, Matt Gogel 69 67 68, Jason Gore 66 68 70—Reuters