Hometown favorite Couples sets up showdown with Langer

CHAMPIONS

When Fred Couples was struggling to stay near par in the first round, the cheers he heard were mostly from friends and family out to exult the Seattle native.

On Saturday, the hometown boy gave everyone at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., a reason to roar.

"Today I didn't hear many family because it was loud and so much fun," Couples said.

Couples shot a bogey-free 5-under 65 on Saturday, surging into a share of the U.S. Senior Open lead with Bernhard Langer at 5-under with a round left. Feeding off the raucous hometown crowd, Couples made five birdies and posted the lowest score of the week.

A week after winning the Senior British Open at Carnoustie, Langer shot 68 on Saturday, posting his third straight round in the 60s.

Couples and Langer were five shots clear of Chien Soon Lu and Tom Kite, giving today a match play feel with a little Ryder Cup thrown in.

"I'm sure there are many, many people rooting for him but I've heard a few Germans out there and I might have my own 12 people cheering for me or whatever, who knows," Langer joked.

Normally reserved, Couples got into the crescendo of sound as his round progressed. When he holed his bunker shot on the sixth to save par, Couples simply flicked his wrist with a little wave. By the time he dropped an 8-foot downhill putt on the 16th, Couples added a fist pump and grin as he walked to the 17th tee.

The whole time galleries six- to eight-deep wedged between Sahalee's massive trees to get a glimpse at the round Couples was giving to his hometown. Now they get to see if the local kid who grew up learning the game at Jefferson Park on Seattle's Beacon Hill can win his first U.S. Golf Association championship 20 miles to the east.

"I'm in a great position to win in my hometown," Couples said. "That's probably not going to happen again, so I don't think that's going to make me more nervous than trying to win the U.S. Senior Open than I think it is, but I'll let you know on the first tee tomorrow."

Couples' round was bogey-free and his best score since shooting a 63 in the first round of a Champions Tour event in late April. His 31 on the front nine could have gone lower, if not for missing a short birdie putt at the fourth.

He made birdies at Nos. 2, 5, 7 and 9, nearly holing his second shot on the seventh, leading playing partner Tom Watson to question the gallery, "That's a gimmie, isn't it?"

Yani Tseng shot her third straight 4-under 68, and will take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Women's British Open at Southport, England.

The 21-year-old star from Taiwan took advantage of the short, 472-yard, par-5 final hole by hitting an 8-iron to within 20 feet with her second shot. She rolled in the eagle putt to finish off her round, doubling her cushion over Australian Katherine Hul (66).

Earlier, American Morgan Pressel equaled the course record with a 7-under 65 to move to 3 under for the tournament.

Jeff Overton shot a 4-under 66 for a three-stroke lead entering the final round of the Greenbrier Classic at White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

The second-round leader kept the lead despite a pair of others flirting with 59. D.A. Points three-putted the par-5 17th for bogey, finished with a 61 and is alone in second at 15 under, and J.B. Holmes couldn't convert a 10-footer for eagle at No. 17 and shot 60.

Boo Weekley shot a 67 to reach 13 under, and Holmes is in a four-way tie for fourth with Jonathan Byrd (64), Brendon de Jonge (65) and Jimmy Walker (67) at 12 under.