Bernhard Langer

Bernhard Langer took a three-shot lead in the Senior British Open after shooting a two-under-par 69 in the third round at Carnoustie, Scotland, on Saturday. The German has yet to win on the U.S. Champions Tour but is in position to change that after outplaying his nearest rival, Corey Pavin . The pair set out as coleaders at four under, but three bogeys dropped the American Ryder Cup team captain to a one-over 72. Six players go into the final round at two under, one shot behind Pavin and four off the lead.

Bernhard Langer has seen some of his peers go from the Champions Tour to the PGA Tour and achieve success. But the 53-year-old does not want to follow suit because he thinks "bouncing back and forth doesn't do a whole lot. " The two-time Masters champion (1985, 1993) also enjoys the Champions Tour for golfers 50 and older. Who could blame him? He has been ruling the tour for the last three years. Last year, Langer, a native of Germany, became the first player on the Champions Tour to win the Jack Nicklaus Trophy (player of the year)

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin shot a second consecutive two-under-par 69 Friday and shared the second-round lead with Bernhard Langer of Germany at the Senior British Open in Carnoustie, Scotland. Pavin and Langer (71) have four-under totals of 138 and are one shot ahead of a quartet that includes Ian Woosnam (67) and Jay Haas (69). Pavin was among the early starters and looked set to take a commanding lead before finishing with a double-bogey six at the 18th after hitting his second shot out of bounds.

Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo says he believes an "energy drink" he bought at a gas station contained the substance that led to his 10-game suspension for violating the NBA's drug policy. "I didn't know it had any bad substances in it, and it caused a 10-game suspension," Mayo said Saturday at the team's practice court. "It's not like I went to a GNC and got some Muscle Armor or ordered some supplement off the Internet or anything. It was just a local gas station that kind of got me hemmed up. " The NBA suspended Mayo on Thursday for testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)

Bernhard Langer has seen some of his peers go from the Champions Tour to the PGA Tour and achieve success. But the 53-year-old does not want to follow suit because he thinks "bouncing back and forth doesn't do a whole lot. " The two-time Masters champion (1985, 1993) also enjoys the Champions Tour for golfers 50 and older. Who could blame him? He has been ruling the tour for the last three years. Last year, Langer, a native of Germany, became the first player on the Champions Tour to win the Jack Nicklaus Trophy (player of the year)

Fred Couples shot a five-under-par 65 on Saturday for a share of the U.S. Senior Open lead, feeding off a raucous hometown crowd at Sammamish, Wash., hoping the native son can win his first U.S. Golf Assn. championship. Couples matched Bernhard Langer (68) at five under at tree-lined Sahalee Country Club, with Langer birdieing the final hole to pull even. They are the only players under par after three rounds. Couples shot a four-under 31 on the front nine Saturday, making birdies at Nos. 2, 5, 7 and 9 and holing a bunker shot on the sixth to save par. He added a birdie at the 16th to post the best round of the week.

Bernhard Langer had to contend with a rain-delayed start, slow play, the threat of darkness and his own erratic, cross-handed putting stroke. But the West German, who has been so close so often, got the job done Saturday in the third round of the $600,000 Honda golf tournament. When the long day's play finally ended, only moments before total darkness descended, Langer was in the same position he'd enjoyed at the tournament's halfway point: He was two shots in front of the pack.

Professional golf is a quiet, nonviolent sport that needs stars to sell it. Arnold Palmer once sold it the way Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Redford and Paul Newman could sell a bad movie. Nobody has ever matched Palmer's clout at the gate, but every few years or so, a new star appears who, either through the force of his personality or the quality of his game, draws attention to the tour. After Palmer came Jack Nicklaus, then Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros.

Bernhard Langer boosted his 1985 earnings to $546,000 Sunday when he won the European Open golf championship by three strokes. The 28 year-old West German, winner of the Masters' title in April, followed his third round 66 with a final-round 67 to finish with an 11-under-par total of 269. Runner-up in the $280,000 tournament was Irishman John O'Leary at 272, eight under par, while a stroke back were another Irishman, Des Smyth, and two Britons, Gordon Brand Jr. and Howard Clark.

One of the refreshing things about the men's pro golf tour is the recent infusion of foreign talent--Spain's Severiano Ballesteros, South Africa's Denis Watson, Australia's Greg Norman, Japan's Isao Aoki, to name a few--into the mainstream of American tournaments. Now comes Bernhard Langer of West Germany. Langer, 26, a slender curly-haired blond, is Europe's No. 1 player.

Fred Couples shot a five-under-par 65 on Saturday for a share of the U.S. Senior Open lead, feeding off a raucous hometown crowd at Sammamish, Wash., hoping the native son can win his first U.S. Golf Assn. championship. Couples matched Bernhard Langer (68) at five under at tree-lined Sahalee Country Club, with Langer birdieing the final hole to pull even. They are the only players under par after three rounds. Couples shot a four-under 31 on the front nine Saturday, making birdies at Nos. 2, 5, 7 and 9 and holing a bunker shot on the sixth to save par. He added a birdie at the 16th to post the best round of the week.

Stuart Appleby hit golf's magic number Sunday, shooting a 59 to win the Greenbrier Classic at White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Appleby's 11-under-par round put him at 22 under, giving him a one-stroke victory to end a four-year winless drought. Third-round leader Jeff Overton (67) narrowly missed a long birdie try on the par-three 18th that would have forced a playoff. Appleby is the fifth PGA Tour player to reach the milestone. The Australian's round came less than a month after Paul Goydos had a 59 at the John Deere Classic.

Bernhard Langer won his first senior major title on Sunday, holding off a final-round challenge from Corey Pavin for a one-stroke win in the Senior British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland. The German shot a one-over 72 to finish at five-under 279. Pavin ended with a one-under 70. Tom Watson finished with 74 for a six-over 290. He said he would return next year to play in the British Open and Senior British Open. --- Carl Pettersson overcame a six-stroke deficit to win the Canadian Open for his fourth PGA Tour victory, following his tournament-record 60 in the third round with a three-under 67 to beat Dean Wilson by a shot at Toronto.

Bernhard Langer took a three-shot lead in the Senior British Open after shooting a two-under-par 69 in the third round at Carnoustie, Scotland, on Saturday. The German has yet to win on the U.S. Champions Tour but is in position to change that after outplaying his nearest rival, Corey Pavin . The pair set out as coleaders at four under, but three bogeys dropped the American Ryder Cup team captain to a one-over 72. Six players go into the final round at two under, one shot behind Pavin and four off the lead.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin shot a second consecutive two-under-par 69 Friday and shared the second-round lead with Bernhard Langer of Germany at the Senior British Open in Carnoustie, Scotland. Pavin and Langer (71) have four-under totals of 138 and are one shot ahead of a quartet that includes Ian Woosnam (67) and Jay Haas (69). Pavin was among the early starters and looked set to take a commanding lead before finishing with a double-bogey six at the 18th after hitting his second shot out of bounds.

Jay Don Blake shot a four-under-par 67 to lead a strong American showing in the opening round of the Senior British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland, on Thursday. Blake is in a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard alongside Germany's Bernhard Langer and England's Carl Mason . Below that trio the only non-American in the next 17 places was Scotsman Sam Torrance , who shot a 69. Among the Americans chasing the leaders were U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin (69)

Welcome to the Champions Tour, or more appropriately the 50-and-over tour, where a man approaching his 70s can claim a little triumph. Well, until a golfer 16 years younger steals it away. Jim Colbert, who turns 68 on Monday, hobbled through a five-under-par 66 Friday in the first round of the Toshiba Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club. That was good for a share of second place, one shot behind Bernhard Langer.

Masters champion Nick Faldo of England and former Masters champion Bernhard Langer of West Germany have resigned their PGA Tour memberships.

The news the last few weeks at the O'Meara household, even though Mark is on the Champions Tour, has been about a fairly famous golfer named Tiger Woods. When Woods recently returned from an eight-month hiatus thanks to knee surgery, people called O'Meara for a comment. The close friend, neighbor and mentor proclaimed the 33-year-old Woods was better than ever. Saturday, however, people came asking solely about O'Meara.

Welcome to the Champions Tour, or more appropriately the 50-and-over tour, where a man approaching his 70s can claim a little triumph. Well, until a golfer 16 years younger steals it away. Jim Colbert, who turns 68 on Monday, hobbled through a five-under-par 66 Friday in the first round of the Toshiba Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club. That was good for a share of second place, one shot behind Bernhard Langer.