Greg Norman has the best players in the world talking about asking for strokes.
Playing flawless golf - no bogeys in 54 holes - Norman finished three rounds at the Players Championship 19-under par, four strokes ahead of his nearest competitor, Fuzzy Zoeller."Give me a 10-shot handicap and I'll have a shot at him," Zoeller said. Virtually no one else in the strongest field of the year has a shot.
Norman, who was among 72 players stranded on the course by darkness after a lengthy rain delay Friday, came back at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and birdied 3 of 8 holes to finish off a round of 67 and a course-record 130 for 36 holes.
At that point, he held a 3-shot lead over Zoeller. But there was more to come.
After a brief lunch break, Norman returned to carve another 67 out of the pines and lakes and sand of Sawgrass, finishing up at 6 p.m.
"I just hope it goes another 18," Norman said of his brilliant play.
The British Open champion completed three rounds at 197, 19 under par and a record on the home course for the PGA Tour, the TPC at Sawgrass.
In fact, he only needs a final round of par 72 to break the 72-hole scoring record of 18-under par set last year by Nick Price.
Norman opened the annual championship of golf's touring pros with a 9-under-par 63 and has made virtually no mistakes. And when he has erred, he has recovered. Norman's bogey-free streak now stretches back through 80 holes.
Only Zoeller, who had a third round 68 and a 201 total, remained within reach going into Sunday's final round of the chase for a $450,000 first prize.
Jeff Maggert, with a 69, was a distant third at 203. England's Nick Faldo, with a 68, and Davis Love III, with a 70, were tied at 204 and were the only others within 9 shot of the run-away leader.
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At Kingwood, Texas, Isao Aoki shot his second consecutive 4-under 68 for a one-stroke lead over charging Tom Wargo after Saturday's second round of the Senior PGA Doug Sanders Celebrity Classic.
Wargo moved into contention with a string of three birdies and then followed them with a hole-in-one en route to a 66 and a two-day total of 137, seven under par.
Chi Chi Rodriguez, who played Saturday in a celebrity group that included former presidents George Bush and Gerald Ford, had his second straight 69 for a 6-under 138, two shots behind the leader.
Defending champion Bob Charles was another shot back at 139 after a 69 Saturday. Homero Blancos was at 141, Tommy Aaron and Jimmy Powell at 142, and Dale Douglass and Walt Zembriski at 143.
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In Rancho Mirage, Calif., Donna Andrews, who's already won one tournament this month, used a birdie binge on the front nine Saturday to take a one-shot lead after three rounds of the Dinah Shore.
Andrews, who appears to be an emerging star on the LPGA tour, shot a 4-under-par 67 for a total of 10-under 206.
Laura Davies of England shot a 69 for a 207 total.