Blake Keeps on Course With 66

By DAVE McKIBBEN

Feb. 9, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SAN DIEGO — Finally, all of the talk about the knee-deep rough and rock-hard greens of Torrey Pines became more than a rumor.

Local favorite Phil Mickelson ballooned to a 77 and fell out of contention. Steve Lowery was a stroke off the lead when he yanked his drive off the 14th tee into a canyon normally patrolled by coyotes. He wound up with a triple-bogey seven and a round of 75. Second-round leader Mark O’Meara shot over 70 for the first time in 13 rounds, and last-minute entry Frank Lickliter followed up rounds of 66 and 68 with a 76.

Then, there’s 11-year pro Jay Don Blake, whose only PGA Tour victory came at Torrey Pines six years ago. Blake stayed out of the hay and the canyons and cruised to a bogey-free round of six-under-par 66 to take a two-stroke lead Saturday after three days of the Buick Invitational.

Blake, who has only two bogeys in three rounds, is at 14 under, leading O’Meara and Mike Hulbert by two shots and Craig Stadler and Jesper Parnevik by three. Blake, who had the day’s low round, hit 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens.

“It’s nice to play a round with no bogeys, especially when the course is playing so hard,” he said. “I kept the ball in play. I felt like I played solid all day.”

Blake also dealt with a pesky wind that came out of the south and made the reachable par fives unreachable with a drive in the rough. The pins were also harder to find on some holes, but Blake didn’t have much trouble locating them. He hit a three-iron within five feet on No. 1, a sand wedge to three feet on No. 2 and a nine-iron within four feet on No. 14.

“You always hope for days like this,” he said. “I’ve been playing really smart, trying not to be too aggressive.”

He’s also been trying to shed the label of a one-time winner.

“It bothers me quite a bit that I haven’t won more,” he said. “I had some back problems for a few years after I won in San Diego. I’m in better shape now and I keep trying to make improvements.”

To notch his second victory, Blake probably will have to contend with O’Meara, who had been an incredible 62 under par over his last 12 rounds. O’Meara has been shaky off the tee all week, and it finally caught up to him Saturday.

He was two under on the front nine, but bogeyed 11, 12 and 17 and finished with a one-under 71. On the par-three No. 11, he three-putted from 45 feet. On the par-four No. 12, he drove into the right bunker, and on No. 17, he pulled his drive left and wound up missing a five-foot putt for par.

“Today I didn’t execute like I would like to, but there’s no panic,” he said. “I think I have an idea what’s wrong. I’ve been pulling the ball. When I get in trouble, my arms and body don’t work together.”

Hulbert shot a 67, his third consecutive sub-70 round, and will play in the last group with O’Meara and Blake. Stadler could have tied Hulbert and O’Meara, but he missed a four-foot birdie putt on No. 18. Still, Stadler said he was fortunate.

“I drove it lousy, hit my irons lousy, hit it five or six spots where you absolutely can’t hit it and still shot two under,” he said.

Stadler, who went to high school a few miles from Torrey Pines and won here in 1994, said he will probably have to shoot a 65 or 66 to have a chance to win.

Parnevik, who has three consecutive top-five finishes and has the lowest scoring average on the tour, shot a 69 and will try to win his first PGA Tour event today. His best finish in this country is a third last year at the Greater Milwaukee Open.

Parnevik started at eight under but fell to six under through five holes until he chipped in from 80 feet to eagle the par-five sixth hole. Mickelson also appeared to be picking up momentum when he eagled No. 13 by dropping a flop shot from the deep rough, but he followed that with a double-bogey and a bogey.

Lowery, who shared the midway lead with O’Meara, drove so far left on No. 14 it took a search party of 10 to find his ball. He decided to tee off again rather than possibly breaking his wrist on the ice plant that covered his ball. Five strokes later, he found himself looking well up at the leaders.

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The Leaders

Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines

Par 72; 54-Hole Scores

Jay Don Blake: 65-71-66--202 -14

Mike Hulbert: 68-69-67--204 -12

Mark O’Meara: 67-66-71--204 -12

Jesper Parnevik: 70-66-69--205 -11

Craig Stadler: 67-68-70--205 -11

Billy Andrade: 69-70-67--206 -10

Michael Bradley: 71-63-72--206 -10

Tim Herron: 68-70-69--207 -9