HUMBLE, Texas, April 26 (UPI) -- A former world No. 1 and Masters champion experiencing a renaissance this season, Fred Couples birdied the 18th hole Saturday to grab a one-shot lead over Mark Calcavecchia after three rounds of the Houston Open.
It has been five years since Couples won The Memorial for the last of his 14 PGA Tour victories, although it seems longer for the smooth-swinging University of Houston product.
"You sure it hasn't been six?" he said.
Couples made a 10-foot putt to finish a 5-under-par 67 and earn sole possession of the lead at Redstone Golf Club. He had a 54-hole total of 16-under 200.
"It's been a long time," said Couples, who has two top-10 finishes in his last four starts. "If I go out and play, I should be fine, and I just have to do what I did today."
Couples holed a bunker shot for birdie at the first before dropping a stroke at the third and two on the seventh. But he played the last 10 holes in 6-under.
"I played great on the back nine," he said.
Calcavecchia is in position to snap a victory drought of his own, having gone without a title since his record-setting performance in Phoenix two years ago.
"The course is giving up some low scores, weather is perfect," he said. "It is playing a lot faster, so I think tomorrow the key thing for me is I've got to hit more fairways somehow."
Couples and Calcavecchia were not alone. Stuart Appleby of Australia was two strokes off the lead at 14-under 202 with Trevor Immelman of South Africa in fourth at 203 after shot the low round of the day with a 65.
The tour could have a shootout for the second straight week with four players at 204 and another six, including John Daly, defending champion Vijay Singh of Fiji and former U.S Amateur champion Hank Kuehne, at 205.
Last Sunday at The Heritage, eight players were tied for lead during the round.
With the field so bunched, both Couples and Calcavecchia were quick to point out that the final round will not be a match play situation. Appleby said it would be a "slugfest."
"I would agree with him," Couples said. "It is going to be a slugfest or a puttfest, whichever way you want to look at it."
