Shell Houston Open

April 26, 2003
On a day perfect for scoring, Fred Couples took advantage with a 5-under 67 to lead after three rounds in the $4.5 million Shell Houston Open.

Mark Calcavecchia is one off the pace with Stuart Appleby two back.

With fairways playing hard and fast, combined with generous greens for targets, birdies were abundant. Couples started the day holing a bunker shot for birdie on the first hole. He later suffering a double bogey on the par-4 seventh hole when his 6-iron found a pond right of the green.

After leaving a 8-foot putt short on the next hole, on what he called a weak stroke, Couples regrouped to make birdie on No. 9

Refocused, Couples fired a 32 on the backside highlighted by four straight birdies starting on No.12. He added one more on the final hole to earn the lead at 16-under-par.

The 14-time TOUR winner shared the 36-hole lead with Calcavecchia and Hank Kuehne. The last time Couples led going into the final round was the 1998 Memorial, his last victory on TOUR.

"It's been a long time. It shouldn't feel any different than it did today," said Couples, who has gone 87 starts between wins. "If I go out and play like I should, then it will be okay."

A University of Houston product, Couples has never won the Shell Houston Open. His best finish in 14 starts is a third in 1998.

Calcavecchia posted a 68 despite not making birdie on a par 5 on the front side. He birdied both on the back to join Couples in the final group on Sunday.

The 11-time TOUR winner has come from behind in six of his victories.

"The weather is perfect and the course is giving up some low scores," said Calcavecchia, who has hit only 21 of 42 fairways this week. "It's playing a lot faster, so tommorrow the key for me is to hit more fairways."

Appleby, who has not made bogey in 27 holes, posted his second 66 of the tournament. His last win on TOUR came at the 1999 Shell Houston Open. That year, he also started the final round two shots off the lead.

"Around here you don't want to make too many bogeys but you certainly need to make three times as many birdies," said Appleby. "There's a bunch of people involved in winning this golf tournament. It will be a bit of a run to the homeward stretch."

This year the tournament, sponsored by Shell Oil Co., was moved from the TPC at the Woodlands complex after a 28-year run to the new sprawling 7,508 yard Redstone Golf Club, the fourth-longest course on the Tour.

Greg Chalmers fired the low round of the day with a 64. The Australian bogeyed the first hole but rebounded with nine birdies. It matched Hank Kuehne's second round 8-under performance for low round of the tournament.

Kuehne slumped to a 72, five strokes off the lead.