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Published: Sunday April 19, 2009 MYT 8:19:00 AM

Gay holds onto Verizon Heritage lead

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, South Carolina (AP) - Brian Gay shot a 4-under 67 to increase his lead to three shots over New Zealand's Tim Wilkinson after three rounds of the Verizon Heritage on Saturday.

Gay moved in front Friday with five straight birdies. This time, he played steady, mistake-free golf at Harbour Town Golf Links to move to 13-under.

Left-hander Wilkinson shot a 65 and two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen had two late birdies to maintain his place among the leaders, another stroke behind after a 69.

Todd Hamilton, the 2004 British Open champ, was a stroke behind Gay when the round began. However, he fell five shots behind after his even-par 71. Five-time Verizon Heritage winner Davis Love III (69) was tied with Briny Baird (65) at 7-under.

Gay is a round away from his second career victory after winning the 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, when most of the golf world was watching the bigger names at the World Golf Championships Match Play event.

"Who else is playing doesn't really matter," Gay said. "I think it will be validation of winning last year. I did it once and I'll do it again."

Gay has made one bogey in 54 holes, while driving it straight and true on the course's narrow, tree-lined fairways.

"Brian Gay is a fine player," Janzen said. "He doesn't get in trouble off the tee and he's a really good putter. I imagine if he continues to play that kind of steady golf, it will take a great round to catch him."

Janzen hasn't won on tour since the second of his U.S. Open victories in 1998. He for a 69 that kept him in third.

Entering with a one-shot lead, Gay's round got going with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 fifth hole. He extended things a hole later, rolling in a testy, sloping 10-footer. Gay's final birdie came on the par-5 15th with a nifty 20-foot putt.

He had consecutive birdies on the fifth and sixth holes to move to 11 under.

Wilkinson began the day five shots behind, but used four consecutive birdies to close his front nine and jump up the leaderboard.

Wilkinson tied for second in last year's Valero Texas Open and won more than $1.1 million in his first tour season.

This year hadn't gone as well so far, with Wilkinson missing four cuts in his eight events. His best finish was a tie for 38th at Mayakoba.

Harbour Town is much more to Wilkinson's liking.

"A course like this where you have to position your ball and things like that, it suits me a lot better," Wilkinson said.

Janzen scrambled his way through the Lowcountry course. He opened with a bogey, then made eagle a hole later. Two straight bogeys dropped him back on the front nine. But consecutive birdies on the 16th and 17th holes got him back in the game.

PGA Tour folk hero Boo Weekley was hoping for his third consecutive win at Harbour Town. He'll need a record-setting final round to make that happen after his 70 dropped him 11 shots behind Gay.

Gay said he took a five-shot lead into his last round in Mexico, but was far from comfortable. He worried about maintaining his margin and wound up losing some aggressiveness in his game.

"It was tough just trying to make par, you know, because I wasn't shooting at the flags and I had a bunch of 30-footers trying to two putt," Gay recalled. "It's not that easy."

He expects to hold his composure much better after his latest third-round lead.

"I think it can only help going out and playing solid today and coming out tomorrow and see if I can go out and do the same thing tomorrow." - AP

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