Brad Fabel, playing in his 318th PGA Tour event, has a good chance for the first victory of a career that started in 1984.
He shot a 5-under-par 65 Saturday to go 10-under for the tournament, tying David Toms for the lead after three rounds of the Quad City Classic. Toms shot a 67."Basically, I tried to stay out of my own way," said Fabel, who birdied six of the first seven holes on the back nine. "I tried to pick the right club and not force anything to happen. Just set up and swing."
Frank Lickliter, Robert Gamez, Russ Cochran and Brandel Chamblee were one stroke back at 9-under 201. Five others - Keith Fergus, Scott Verplank, Brad Sutterfield, Eric Johnson and Craig Bowden - were two behind the leaders.
There were nine players at 7-under and nine more at 6-under, putting 29 players within four strokes of the lead. That should make for an interesting final round Sunday at Oakwood Country Club.
"With everybody bunched up, there are going to be a lot of leaderboard changes," said Toms, whose lone top-three finish in five full years on tour was in the 1992 Northern Telcom Open. "I might have to shoot my lowest round for the tournament to have a chance."
Toms and Fabel personify the event's lack of star power. Seven of the 11 players highest on the leaderboard have never won on tour. Of the other four - Cochran, Fergus, Verplank and Gamez - the most recent victory was Cochran's in the 1991 Western Open.
Lickliter shot a 63, low round in the tournament. He had seven birdies, no bogeys, and didn't record a score higher than four on any hole.