Phil Mickelson was staked to a 3-point lead Saturday when Phil Blackmar made double bogey on the last hole of the twice-delayed third round of the International tournament.
And, for the first time in the 8-year history of this unique event, the third-round lead really mattered.Because of a format change this year, points will be carried forward to Sunday's final round in the chase for a $234,000 first prize.
Previously, points were wiped out after 54 holes and the last-round qualifiers started over from zero. Under that format, only the struggle to gain a place in the 24-man qualifying field mattered.
Now, however, jockeying for position among the leaders was the central theme, and the biggest shift came on the final hole.
Blackmar was tied for the lead when he plugged his 8-iron second shot in the wet sand of a bunker. He came out 40 feet long and three-putted for double bogey. That cost him three points under the modified Stableford scoring system and dropped him back to second.
Under the points-only system, a player gets 5 points for eagle, 2 for birdie, zero for par, minus-1 for bogey and minus-3 for double bogey or worse.
Mickelson, the 23-year-old lefty who won at San Diego earlier this season, completed three trips over the mile-high Castle Pines Golf Club course with 29 points, 11 of them coming in the third round.
Blackmar, who had three birdies, three bogeys, an eagle and a double bogey on Saturday, takes 26 points into the final round.
Scott Simpson and Mark O'Meara were next with 23 points.
Greg Norman, loser in a playoff in the PGA last weekend, remained in title contention with 22 points, tied with defending champion Brad Faxon and rookie Skip Kendall.
In Kenmore, Wash., Bert Yancey shot a 7-under-par 65 Saturday to pull within one stroke of the lead in the $500,000 GTE Northwest Classic on the Senior PGA Tour.
First-round leader Dave Stockton made three birdies and an eagle, to finish at 4-under for the day. He is 11 under par after two rounds, one stroke ahead of Yancey and Dale Douglass. Bob Betley is the lone player at 7-under-par.
In Brooklyn Park, Minn., Cindy Rarick shot a 3-under-par 69 and held a one-stroke lead over Jody Anschutz after two rounds of the Minnesota LPGA Classic.