Wayne Levi burst through the opening provided by Tom Kite's lapse and converted a record-matching score into the third-round lead in golf's richest tournament.
Strangely enough, neither Levi nor Kite appeared particularly pleased or concerned about the situation."Two strokes is no big deal," shrugged Kite, who finds himself that much in arears entering Sunday's final round of the Nabisco Championship.
And Levi, who tends to judge his success by dollars rather than titles, said the $3.485 million in individual prizes money will not be a factor in the final round.
"I'm going to make a big check no matter what. I'm just out there having a good time," Levi said Saturday.
"I'm not sure why, but there isn't as much pressure here as in other tournaments," he said after an eight-under-par 63 had lifted him one shot ahead of the rest of the elite field of the year's 30 leading money-winners.
It was at that point he parted company with Kite and Greg Norman, both deeply involved in the races for the season's money-winning title and Player of the Year.
Both races will be decided in this event, the final official-money tournament on the PGA Tour schedule.
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At Sotogrande, Spain, Ronan Rafferty of Northern Ireland, bidding to become the first Irishman to top the European money list since the legendary Christy O`Connor 20 years ago, shot a 2-under-par 70 Saturday to hold a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Volvo Masters golf tournament.
Rafferty, whose only bogey of the day came on the 18th hole of the demanding 7,020-yard Valderrama Golf Club, had an aggregate 5-under-par 211 for his three rounds, followed by overnight leader Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, who slipped to a 74 and a 213 total.
Defending champion Nick Faldo of England shot a par-72 for third place at 214, followed by Sandy Lyle (69) in fourth at 215 along with Ian Woosnam, who struggled to a 75.