Tom Lehman was awakened before dawn by the rumble of thunder and the rhythm of rain against his hotel window. With a nine-stroke lead in the Tour Championship, those weren't sounds he wanted to hear.

In a year in which he has emerged as one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour, Lehman is perhaps one more great round away from convincing his fellow players that he was the best of all of them in 1996."I have a good opportunity to make a really big statement with one more good round," Lehman said Sunday when the final round of the Tour Championship was rained out and rescheduled for Monday.

"I woke up at 4:30 when it was lightning," Lehman said.

But for Lehman, who has a chance to sweep the money title, the scoring title and both player of the year awards, there was not the slightest temptation to hope for the tournament to be shortened to 54 holes and he be declared the winner.

He has something to prove.

"I really think we needed to play," Lehman said. "I really do. If I win by 12 or 13 strokes, that would be pretty impressive."

Lehman, who won the British Open and was second in the U.S. Open, was at a remarkable 13-under-par 197 after three rounds at Southern Hills Country Club, nine strokes ahead of Vijay Singh and Brad Faxon and 12 strokes ahead of Tom Watson, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard.

Only five other players in the elite field restricted to the top-30 money winners managed to break par for 54 holes.

While Lehman stands to be the big winner, Phil Mickelson, who came into the tournament leading the money list and ahead in the points system that determines the PGA of America player of the year, stands to be the big loser.

Unless Mickelson can finish no lower than tied for third - he's four strokes out of third going to the final round - Lehman will win the money title.

"I have an outside chance," Mickelson said. "It's kind of unlikely, but I do have a chance."

With a victory, Lehman would move past Mickelson on the money list and in PGA of America points.

Mickelson, with four victories, and Mark Brooks, with three wins including the PGA Championship, were considered the front-runners in the player voting for the PGA Tour player of the year award coming into this event.

But a victory by Lehman in the Tour Championship would throw him right into the mix.

"Give him credit," Mickelson said. "Tom came in here knowing what a win could do for him and look what he did."

His nine-stroke lead tied for the largest 54-hole margin since the PGA started keeping such records in 1970, matching a lead Jack Nicklaus had in 1973.

If he wins, Lehman would have two victories and 13 top-10 finishes. He finished out of the top-20 only three times in 21 events so far this year.

The $540,000 first-place check would put Lehman at $1,780,159 on the year, breaking the record $1,654,959 won by Greg Norman last year.

"I have the next few weeks off," Lehman said. "I can stay to whenever."

It likely won't take that long to prove he's been the best player this year.

KAANAPALI CLASSIC

KAANAPALI, Hawaii (AP) - Bob Charles had an eagle and two birdies over the final five holes Sunday to hold off Hale Irwin and successfully defend his Kaanapali Classic title, his third since 1990.

Charles' closing 2-under-par 69 gave him a 54-hole total 198 and a one-stroke victory over Irwin, who had a 70.

Although he didn't win, Irwin moved past Jim Colbert in the money race on the Senior PGA Tour. Second place was worth $77,350 and raised Irwin's winnings for the year to $1,557,344, $40,000 more than Colbert with two tournaments left on the schedule.

Charles and Irwin started the final round tied at 13 under and traded leads through the first 13 holes.

But a birdie by Charles at the 423-yard 13th evened the match and then the 60-year-old left-hander from New Zealand took the lead for good with his an eagle on the 480-yard 15th, his fourth of the tournament.

Charles then clinched the $97,500 first prize by draining a 65-foot birdie putt on the 155-yard 17th.

With a two-stroke lead, Charles lagged his par putt on 18 within six inches and tapped in for his first victory of the year and his 23rd Senior Tour title.

Steve Veriato, a Monday qualifier, toured the 6,590-yard Kaanapali North Course on the island of Maui with a closing 66 to finish alone in third at 200.

Don Bies made up three strokes and was at 201 along with former PGA Commissioner Deane Beman. Four golfers - Bud Allin, John Jacobs, Graham Marsh and Don January - were another stroke behind.

VOLVO MASTERS

SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP) - Zimbabwe's Mark McNulty shot a 3-under-par 68 Sunday and won the Volvo Masters by seven shots in the PGA European Tour's season-ending event.

It was McNulty's third victory of the year and 15th in his European career. He had a 72-hole total of 8-under 276.

The victory was worth $238,000 from the $1.39 million purse.

After taking the lead in the third round, McNulty fired birdies on the par-3 third hole, the par-4 10th and 18th, and on the par-5 11th at the 6,819-yard, par-71 Valderrama course Sunday.

His only bogey came at the par-4 seventh after hitting his tee shot far to the left.

"It's an important win on such a demanding course," McNulty said. "I said to my caddy at the beginning of the week that I felt I was playing well enough to win, but you can never say you can win around here."

Four players tied for second at 283, including South African Wayne Westner, whose 67 was the day's best score. Also at 283 were Argentina's Jose Coceres , Scotland's Sam Torrance and England's Lee Westwood .

Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, winner of his fourth straight European money title, carded a 75 for 292.

Spain's Seve Ballesteros followed two consecutive 76s with a 78 for a 304 total, giving him his lowest ranking in the European money list since turning pro in 1974.

Germany's Bernhard Langer ended his streak of at least one European title every year since 1979, finishing at 288 after a final round 72.

NICHIREI INTERNATIONAL

AMI, Japan (AP) - The U.S. LPGA team won eight of Sunday's 18 singles matches and tied four others, finishing with a 211/2-141/2 victory over Japan in the $675,000 Nichirei International.

It was the Americans' 12th victory in a row and 16th overall against only two losses since 1979.

The Americans, leading 111/2-61/2 after the first two days, outscored Japan 10-8 on the final day. A victory was worth one point and a tie a half-point.

Each of the 18 Americans received $24,000.

Karrie Webb of the U.S. team, who beat Ayako Okamoto 68-73 in the final match, was chosen most valuable player

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Webb also won pairs matches on the first two days.

Two others shot 68s Sunday on the 6,337-yard, par-72 Ami Golf Club course. American Brandie Burton beat Yukiyo Haga 68-75 and Japan's Aiko Hashimoto defeated Jane Geddes 68-73.

Other American winners Sunday were Barb Mucha, 71-75 over Toshimi Kimura; Joan Pitcock, 71-74 over New Zealander Marnie McGuire, who plays for Japan; Julie Piers, 73-74 over Suzuko Maeda; Barb Whitehead, 72-76 over Mayumi Murai; Val Skinner, 74-81 over Akane Ohshiro, and Tracy Kerdyk, 74-75 over Kaori Harada.

Pat Hurst tied Akira Nakano 74-74; Marianne Morris tied Miyuki Shimabukuro 76-76; Emilee Klein tied Ikuyo Shiotani 71-71, and Chris Johnson tied Natsuko Noro 73-73.

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