Norman Takes Lead By Three

Greg Norman stormed through the third round of the Greater Hartford Open, shooting a 5-under-par 65 Saturday that gave him a three-stroke lead over Fuzzy Zoeller heading into the final round.

Norman, a co-leader after the second round, had seven birdies and two bogies for a 14-under 196, breaking the previous record for 54 holes of 11-under set last year by defending champion David Frost.

Norman, the runner-up at the U.S. Open last week and the second-place finisher at the GHO last year, could have carried a four-stroke lead into the last round, but missed a 10-inch putt to save par at No. 18.

Norman will be paired in today’s round with Zoeller, who was playing in the group ahead of Norman and had reached 11-under with a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 18, his seventh birdie of the day.

Zoeller, who shot a 66, needed the birdie for sole possession of second place after his partner Grant Waite sink a 20-foot birdie putt at the last hole for a 67 that put him at 200, tied with Kirk Triplett.

Triplett, who was tied with Norman at 9-under after two rounds, got off to a shaky start in front of the huge galleries following Norman, but recovered with two late birdies to stay in the hunt.

At 201 were Dave Stockton Jr. (68) and Billy Andrade, whose round of 62 broke a course record of 63 set by Zoeller in the second round.

Norman started the day with a birdie at No. 1 and missed a chance to gain another stroke at the next hole when he lipped the cup on a short putt. His birdies at Nos. 4, 6, 7 and 9 put him 14-under at the turn.

Norman lost a stroke with his first bogey of the day at No. 11, but rebounded with two birdies.