Wetterich Holds Slim Lead at Deutsche Bank

Brett Wetterich emerged from the pack with a 15-foot eagle yesterday and held on for a 6-under-par 66, giving him a one-shot lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass., but no room for error.

The second straight week of these PGA Tour playoffs delivered a surprising leader in Wetterich, who has not been in serious contention since March. And it looks as if it will be the second straight week of a final round up for grabs among the cast of contenders.

"If I go out and shoot 5 under like I did today, it's going to be hard to beat me, unless someone really plays a good round of golf," Wetterich said. "I'm going to go out and try to make the best score that I can. And if someone catches me and beats me, then they did."

Wetterich was at 13-under 200 and will play in the final pairing with Arron Oberholser, who had to scramble for par after hitting into the hazard on the 18th to shoot 66.

But of all the errors on the closing holes, perhaps the most significant belonged to Aaron Baddeley. He went for the green out of the bunker and wound up with a bogey, a shot that enabled Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to be paired in the second-to-last group.

Mickelson now works with Butch Harmon -- Woods's first swing coach -- and says Harmon told him to look for nuances about Woods. Mickelson didn't say what they were, only that they made him laugh.

Harmon "told me a couple things that [Woods] likes to do, and I was kind of watching for it, and I chuckled throughout the round when I'd pick up on it," Mickelson said after the second round. "I think that working with Butch has really helped me understand how to get my best golf when I play in the same group as Tiger. And I'm hoping I have a chance to do that [today]."

Mickelson finished with a birdie on the 18th for a 68, putting him two shots behind at 202.

Another shot behind was Woods, the defending champion at Deutsche Bank who is making his first start in these playoffs. Woods was fuming as he left the 18th green with a 67, after three-putting the last two holes to spoil an otherwise solid day.

But with mistakes by Wetterich, Baddeley and Oberholser down the stretch, he wasn't as bad off as he thought. A year ago, Woods turned a three-shot deficit into a two-shot victory over Vijay Singh.

? CHAMPIONS TOUR: Gil Morgan won his 25th career tour title, closing with a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Hale Irwin at the First Tee Open in Pebble Beach, Calif.

The 60-year-old Morgan won at Pebble Beach 15 years after a disappointing finish in the U.S. Open on the historic course. In 1992, Morgan was 12 under after seven holes of the third round, but played the next seven holes in 9 over and ended up tying for 13th. "Pebble Beach is finally going to let me survive," said Morgan, who finished at 14-under 202. "I kept thinking, 'It's going to give me a reprieve.' "

? LPGA TOUR: Sherri Steinhauer held off a late charge by Christina Kim for a one-stroke victory at the LPGA State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill.

The 44-year-old Steinhauer finished at 17-under 271 at Panther Creek Country Club. The title is Steinhauer's eighth in her 22 years on tour.

Kim tied for the lead briefly after holing the last of three closing birdies, a long putt from the fringe on the 18th that dropped her to 16-under.

Playing a hole behind Kim, Steinhauer answered minutes later, sinking a long birdie putt on the par-three 17th to get to 17-under. She scrambled for par at 18 to log her first tour title since the 2006 Women's British Open and grab the tournament's $195,000 top prize.

Defending champion Annika Sorenstam, playing in her seventh tournament since an April neck injury, shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to finish at 14-under.