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Goosen leads as Singh closes up
PALM HARBOR, Florida (AP) -- Retief Goosen looked unflappable as ever Saturday in the Chrysler Championship on his way to a 4-under-par 67 and a two-stroke lead. Not long after he finished, however, he already was looking over his shoulder. Briny Baird had a 66 and was two strokes behind, but the name that got Goosen's attention was Vijay Singh who shot a 65 to leave him only three back going into the final round. A victory by Singh would clinch the money title and end Tiger Woods' four-year reign. Otherwise, it would be decided next week at the Tour Championship. "If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't," Singh shrugged. "I've still got a chance next week. He still has to beat me next week to pass me." Beating Goosen is no picnic. The former U.S. Open champion is a tough front-runner, and he is playing well on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook. Goosen was at 11-under 202 and has a good chance to win on the PGA Tour for the third consecutive year. He overcame a few mental mistakes on the back nine with an approach that stopped 6 feet from the hole for a birdie on No. 18. "Obviously, Vijay is trying to win to finish off the money title," Goosen said. "I'm trying to win it to get into the Mercedes (Championships at Kapalua). One of us will be unhappy." Overlooked in the final group is Baird, who is 35th on the money list and figured he would need a top-five finish to get into the Tour Championship. Now, he's got a bigger carrot to chase. "It's there for the taking if I play well," said Baird, who has never won on tour. Tim Petrovic was another stroke behind after a 66, and he was on another kind of bubble. The former pizza deliveryman is 41st on the money list, and appears to be a shoo-in to wind up in the top 40 and qualify for the Masters. Petrovic is setting his sights even higher. "I'm focused on the top 30," he said, adding that it probably will take either a victory or a runner-up finish. "If I'm in a playoff, I'm going to be feeling pretty good." All that depends on Goosen, the cool South African who looks at peace whether he hits a tee shot 80 feet off line for bogey (No. 17) or holes a 60-foot putt for birdie (No. 8). He has a reputation for finishing off tournaments, and anyone who questions his nerves only has to look back two years ago to Southern Hills. After a three-putt from 12 feet on the final hole of the U.S. Open, Goosen returned the next day and calmly disposed of Mark Brooks for his first major championship. "I've won most of my tournaments leading from the front," Goosen said. "Once I get in front, that's my main goal, to stay there." Still, he showed some concern by suggesting Singh might be the guy to beat. "If you look at what he's done this year, he's obviously the guy who's going to be coming up the 18th trying to take it from me," he said. For a while, it looked as though Goosen wouldn't let anyone get close. Despite driving into the bunker on the par-5 first hole, he hit a wedge from the rough to 4 feet for birdie and added another on No. 3 to take a three-stroke lead. When his 60-footer dropped on the par-3 eight, Goosen was four shots ahead. He followed that with a deft par save on a 100-foot chip. He started it 15 feet left of the cup and watched it -- calmly, of course -- climb a ridge and then trickle past the cup. Singh was undaunted. Playing four groups ahead of Goosen, he pecked away with booming drives and enough putts to work his way up the leaderboard. "I just wanted to have a chance tomorrow," Singh said. "I was trying to get as close to Retief as possible." The final full-field event of the season still packs some drama farther down the leaderboard. Jeff Sluman birdied five of his last six holes for a 68 that left him in a tie for seventh. Sluman is 42nd on the money list, and a top 10 should be enough to get into the Masters. Glen Hnatiuk shot a 72 and is tied for 38th, making him a lock to move up five spots on the money list into the top 125 to keep his card. Sunday also looms large for Olin Browne, who made the cut on the number Friday with seven straight pars. Despite playing the final seven holes Saturday in 2 over, Browne shot a 69 and was in a tie for 38th. Browne is 132nd on the money list, and probably needs to improve a couple spots on the leaderboard to keep his card. Goosen has no such worries, but he'll still feel the heat -- pressure from Singh, one of the hottest players in golf; and Goosen's goal to return to Kapalua and sip on a lava flow. Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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