Johnson stays on pace for first PGA Tour win

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The putter never quite felt right in Richard Johnson's hands Saturday. He didn't let it bother him.

The Swede shot a steady 2-under 69, giving the PGA Tour rookie a one-stroke lead over David Toms after three rounds of the St. Jude Classic. Johnson planned to spend time at the practice green after needing 29 putts Saturday.

"Oh absolutely, I'm very happy how I performed. I hit the ball very solidly today. Under the amount of pressure I thought I was going to be on, I thought I did a great job. To shoot 2 under and still not putt well feels very well," Johnson said.

Johnson, trying to win his first PGA Tour title in just his 14th start, had a 14-under 199 total.

Toms birdied two of his final three holes for a 65. He will be looking for his second victory this year and ninth in his career.

"I feel very comfortable," Toms said. "I needed a low round. There's a lot of guys that's right there, and that's the way it should be when you try to win a tournament. You need to play well on Sunday, and I'm going to have to play extremely well to have a chance."

Tim Herron (65), Lee Janzen (67), Fredrik Jacobson (68) and David Peoples (70) were two strokes back. Ben Crane (64) was at 202, and Notah Begah (64) and third-round co-leader John Huston (73) were in a group at 203.

"Here it's kind of a shootout, so it's kind of moving day every day here," Herron said. "I know I'm going to have to play really solid"today.

U.S. Senior Open

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Bruce Lietzke has gone lower than 64, but never with so much riding on it.

One of the best rounds of Lietzke's 29-year pro career powered him to a four-stroke lead through Saturday's third round of the U.S. Senior Open.

Lietzke's 7-under 64 -- which included five birdies on the home nine -- left him at 9-under 204 heading into the final round. He has never before won a major championship, although he's had close calls over a long and productive career.

Vicente Fernandez, who started the day with a one-stroke lead over Tom Watson, shot a 71 and was deadlocked with Watson for second place at 5-under 208. Watson had a 70 that included pars on his final 10 holes.

Lietzke opened and closed his round with birdies. In between, he never seemed to be out of position and seldom hit a bad shot -- or at least one from which he couldn't recover.

His 64 was five strokes better than the next best score in the third round -- just as Fernandez's 64 was the day before.

ShopRite LPGA Classic

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Angela Stanford shot a 4-under- par 67 to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, with Annika Sorenstam four shots back.

Stanford, who came into the day sharing the lead with two others, used solid iron play and putting to card five birdies en route to a two-day total of 132.

Four players were bunched up one shot behind her, including two-time Classic champ Juli Inkster, while 13-year-old Michelle Wie was 11 strokes back after a 72.

-- From wire reports