Floyd leads P.G.A. by five strokes

Press, 9 August 1982, Page 40

Floyd leads P.G.A. by five strokes

NZPA-Reuter Tulsa, Oklahoma Raymond Floyd bogeyed the final hole yesterday but still increased his lead to five strokes over Greg Norman and Jay Haas through 54 holes of the I’rofessional Golf Association (PGA) championship. Floyd, aged 39. shot a third-round score of two-under-par 68 for a total of 10-under-par 200 — a championship record for 54 holes. Norman also bogeyed the last hole for a 70 and 205 total, while Haas birdied three of the final six holes for a 68.

Floyd, the winner of the 1969 ' P.G.A. championship, said it was not a case of putting poorly. "I had a number of birdie putts in the three-to-four metre range and they were just running over the edges of the cups." he said. He started the tournament with a brilliant course record 63 on Friday and held a three-stroke lead at that point. After a 69 on Saturday he led by two over Bob Gilder.

It did not take long for Gilder to drop off. however, as he bogeyed the first and second holes and then double-bogeyed the tfiird. .He finished with a two-over-par 72 and is in fourth place at 206. four under par. but six behind the leader. Severiano Ballesteros, with a bogey at the last hole, along with Lanny Wadkins and Jim Simons, were tied at two-under 208. Nick Faldo finished with a

three-over-par 73 and was at 210 with four others. Tom Watson saw his bid for a third major championship disappear as he Shot a one-over-par 71 for a 212. Floyd bogeyed the third hole after he’ bunkered his approach, but he birdied the eighth with a 12-metre putt and the ninth after hitting an eight iron to within one metre. He added two more birdies at the twelfth and fifteenth holes, but bogeyed the final after seeing his sixiron approach drop in the front bunker.

As for today's final round he said: “I don't remember ever losing a big lead on the last day and I would call a big lead three or four strokes."

Floyd has won twice this year.' in the Memorial tournament and the Danny Thomas-Memphis classic. Norman, who was paired with Floyd, said: "Raymond was fantastic. It was a pleasure to watch hitn, but I would have felt better about my chances if I had not bogeyed the last hole, too."

Norman hit his three-iron approach shot over . the green. He chipped back to within a metre but missed the putt. "Tomorrow I’ll have to be more aggressive than I have been, but unless I get off to a very fast start, it will be very difficult to catch Raymond." he said. Haas, in his fast finish, made birdie putts of three metres at the thirteenth, five metres at the fourteenth and six metres at the seventeenth.