SONOMA, Calif. -- The season-long duel between
Jay Haas and
Loren Roberts is going down to the Champions Tour's final round of
the year.
But Jim Thorpe prevented them from finishing their impressive
seasons in the same pairing Sunday -- and even if he can't win the
$1 million Charles Schwab Cup, Thorpe has designs on yet another
tournament victory in Northern California.
Thorpe stayed steady while the other contenders lurched up and
down the leaderboard Saturday, finishing the third round of the
Charles Schwab Cup Championship with a two-stroke lead over Haas,
Roberts and Tom Kite.
Haas leads Roberts by just 126 points in the Schwab Cup
competition -- an elaborate, points-based race for a $1 million
annuity over the tour's entire season. This season-ending
tournament only factors into those standings -- but Thorpe, who's
well behind in the Cup race, has his sights set on the $440,000
first prize at Sonoma Golf Club.
"I need to go out and shoot another 5-under-par round," said
Thorpe, who has won three previous tournaments north of the San
Francisco Bay Area in seven years. "We all know Jay can take it
low, and Tom Kite is a beautiful golfer. I'm going to take some
chances. I'm going to go out pin-hunting and force the action."
Fans will be able to watch both competitions unfold with
relative ease: Kite and Haas will play together Sunday, followed by
Thorpe and Roberts -- the same pairings as Saturday, but with the
order reversed.
"I guess a shot down the stretch could make the difference,"
Haas said. "Both of us can say, 'Man, when is this guy going
away?"'
And the Big Four can't get comfortable, either.
Bob Gilder, Gil Morgan and Andy Bean are three strokes back at 10-under 206, while
defending champion Tom Watson is just four strokes behind Thorpe.
Thorpe parlayed four straight birdies after the turn into a
5-under 67, leaving him two shots ahead of second-round leader Kite
-- as well as Haas and Roberts, the Champions Tour's top two players
throughout the season. All four contenders still are in prime
position to claim the $440,000 first prize in the season-ending
event.
Thorpe, the first-round leader and the 2003 champion in Sonoma,
improved to 13-under 203 by conserving his putts and avoiding big
mistakes before reaching the fast greens.
Thorpe trailed Haas by four strokes at the turn, but the tour
money leader was all over the board despite more mild weather in
Northern California wine country.
Haas made two eagles in his round, but also went 10 straight
holes without a par, giving up an early three-shot lead with three
consecutive bogeys.
"I'm disappointed, because I had a chance to break through and
go really deep," Haas said. "I just got a little quick. Each shot
was off by just enough, and I bogeyed all of those holes."
Haas shot a 69, while Kite hung tough through an inconsistent
round for a 70. Roberts had a bogey-free 68, but missed several
chances to challenge playing partner Thorpe atop the leaderboard.
"I'm a little surprised I'm only two back," Roberts said. "I
thought Jay and Tom were off to the races. I guess it's going to be
a shootout."
Haas and Roberts both shot 66s on Friday to tighten up the field
behind first-round leader Thorpe, who won this tournament
wire-to-wire in 2003.
Haas' third round was every bit as up-and-down as the last few
weeks for his beloved St. Louis Cardinals, who overcame a
late-season losing streak to win the World Series on Friday night.
He can only hope there's also a celebration at the end of his
travails.
"I don't have time to go through my card," Haas said with a
grimace when he entered the clubhouse.
Haas, who grew up in St. Louis, had four birdies and an eagle on
the front nine, capping an impressive stretch with a long downhill
birdie putt on the ninth. But he cooled off at the turn, making
five bogeys and two birdies on the next seven holes -- including
three consecutive bogeys at 14, 15 and 16 to lose the lead to
Thorpe.
While Haas was brilliant and awful, Thorpe was remarkably
steady. He finished his round with five straight pars while Haas
struggled in the pairing behind him.
Watson, who won both the tournament and the Charles Schwab Cup
last year, charged back into contention with a 67, pulling to
9-under 207. He got a boost from the presence of his daughter, Meg,
who's in her final year of business school at Stanford.
"I haven't made many bogeys out here when Meg's around," said
Watson, who rallied from a six-shot deficit in the final round last
year to win -- also with Meg in the gallery.