HUMBLE, Texas – Reminded that it has been five years since he won a tournament, Fred Couples laughed sarcastically.

“Thank you very much,” he said Saturday after a 5-under 67 kept him in the lead of the Houston Open for the third straight day. “You sure it hasn’t been six?”

Among the dominant players in golf in the 1990s but not nearly as successful in recent years, the 43-year-old Couples put himself in position to end the victory by closing with five birdies on the last seven holes, getting him to 16-under 200 after 54 holes and a one-stroke lead over Mark Calcavecchia.

“All right. OK. It has been a long time,” he said. “I should be fine and I just have to do what I did today… It will be the guy who makes the most putts.

“Even though I’m ahead, I still have to putt well. A lot of times I don’t do that, but I am hitting the ball extremely well, so I just need to keep away from mistakes.”

Couples rolled in an 8-foot putt for birdie on the par-4 18th hole to seize the lead alone.

“He’s playing the best I’ve seen him play in a long time,” said Calcavecchia, tied with Couples heading into play Saturday and tied after 17 holes.

Calcavecchia’s birdie attempt at 18 was short by 2 feet, leaving him with a 4-under 68 and three-day total of 201.

Webb surges to lead,

Wie gets all the attention

STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. – Karrie Webb is leading the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, putting together two virtually flawless rounds.

So, the six-time major champion is the star attraction at Eagles Landing Country Club, right?

Hardly.

Thirteen-year-old Michelle Wie, followed around by the largest gallery on the course Saturday, made the cut in her second straight tour event by enduring a 10-hour, 31-hole day.

Wie completed the rain-delayed first round in the morning by playing 13 holes, finishing with an even-par 72, then went straight to No. 1 and got started on another 18.

The eight-grader had a 70 in the afternoon – not bad considering she arrived from Hawaii on Thursday, only had time for one practice round on an unfamiliar course, then had to get through a grueling day.

“I made some stupid mistakes,” said Wie, who finished an astonishing ninth in the first LPGA major of the year. “I made some really good putts, but I should have played better.”

She was nine strokes behind Webb, who surged to the lead with bogey-free rounds of 67 and 66 in the 54-hole event south of Atlanta.

Webb is seeking her first victory of 2002. She hasn’t finished higher than ninth in four events, which she blames on some uncharacteristic lapses.

Eagle helps Lietzke to

one-shot lead over Quigley

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Bruce Lietzke had an eagle early in the second round Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Dana Quigley in the rain-delayed Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

Lietzke opened with a 2-under 70 in the morning and added an afternoon 65 for a 9-under 135 total in the Champions Tour event at The Club at Savannah Harbor. Quigley had rounds of 69 and 67.

Hubert Green was 7 under after rounds of 70 and 67, and Morris Hatalaky (68-70) was three back at 6 under. Hale Irwin, Fuzzy Zoeller and Bob Gilder were 5 under.

Because heavy rain washed out nearly all of Friday’s first-round play, two rounds had to be completed Saturday. That kept some of the 55-player field on the course until almost 8 p.m. EDT, completing a 13-hour day. In order to get both rounds in before dark, the regular cart rule for the over-50 set was waived for these two rounds, meaning players and caddies could use carts. Caddies normally aren’t allowed to use carts on the senior circuit.