Las Vegas Golf : Hoch Shoots 65 and Leads Pohl by One Stroke
LAS VEGAS — Scott Hoch, a playoff loser in the Masters, shot a bogey-free 65 and moved into a one-stroke lead Saturday in the fourth round of the five-day, $1.25-million Las Vegas Invitational.
“I played well, but I felt like I left some shots out there. But I’ve got to be satisfied with a 65,†Hoch said after completing 72 holes in 266, 22-under par.
“Seventy-two holes. I win. I wish,†Hoch said of the tournament that runs one day longer than the usual PGA Tour event.
With another 18 holes to go in the chase for a $225,000 first prize, long-hitting Dan Pohl was a stroke back at 267.
Pohl, who held the third-round lead, had to birdie two of the last three holes to stay close with a 68.
It was another two strokes back to Jim Carter, at 269 after a 67.
Gil Morgan, left-hander Russ Cochran, Robert Wrenn and Craig Stadler were tied at 270, four off the pace and very much in title contention going into today’s fifth round.
Morgan and Cochran each moved up with 64s. Wrenn and Stadler, the former Masters champion attempting to break a five-year non-winning string, had 69s at the Las Vegas Country Club.
Hoch, who let the Masters title escape when he missed a two-foot putt, took the lead in this one with four birdies in five holes beginning on the 10th.
He capped it with a 20-foot putt on the 14th and, at that point, had a three-shot lead.
“I had things working right then,†he said. “And I thought I could add two or three more coming in and give myself a nice little cushion for tomorrow.â€
But it worked the other way. Instead of gaining a couple more, he lost a couple.
Hoch parred home and set a tournament scoring record for 72 holes, breaking the mark of 267 set by Fuzzy Zoeller in 1983.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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