Sergio Garcia was just nine holes from being able to finally shake the tag of "best player to never win a major." Garcia held a one-shot lead over Ben Curtis, who already has his major, as the leaders made the turn in Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship at wet and chilly Oakland Hills. Curtis, the surprise winner of the 2003 British Open at Royal St. George's, had been playing keepaway with the lead. Leading by a shot after returning to the course to play the third round early on Sunday, Curtis was on top by as many as three strokes after birdieing the first hole.

But Garcia opened with three consecutive 3s - for a birdie, an eagle and a par - to get within a shot. A birdie at the drivable, 294-yard, par-4 sixth briefly gave the Spaniard a share of the lead, only to have the unflappable Curtis birdie the same hole moments later in the final grouping.

But Curtis then bogeyed the uphill, against-the-wind eighth, falling into a tie with Garcia, who has finished in the top three in a major four times. As Garcia moved to the 10th hole, Curtis encountered more problems on the par-3 ninth, driving into a greenside bunker and then failing to get on the green with his shot out. The 31-year-old Ohioan's bogey dropped him a shot off the lead.

Garcia turned in 4-under 31 and stood at 3 under for the tournament with nine holes left.

Curtis was another shot back, with playing partner Henrik Stenson the only other player under par at 1 under.

A steady, cold rain made grips wet and caught shots in the rough. The temperatures were in the 60s - a year after they were over 100 at Southern Hills in Tulsa.

Curtis, the stunning out-of-left-field winner of the British Open five years ago, gripped a slim one-shot lead after starting at 7:40 a.m. and shooting a 68. A shot back was J.B. Holmes, the second-round leader at 1 under.

Holmes had a forgettable first hole that all but ruined the 54 before. His drive went near the base of a fir tree short and left off the first green. He went into the tree and attempted to punch the ball back to the fairway with his driver. Unfortunately, the ball only moved about 6 feet and stayed within the boughs of the low-hanging evergreen.

So Holmes still needed to take a one-shot penalty, before finally chipping back to the fairway. From there he hit onto the green and two putted for his 7 on the par-4.

Meanwhile, Stenson also hit into the trees and then flew the green and made bogey.

The methodical Curtis - who said he gears up more for majors than ordinary tournaments - hit the fairway, hit his wedge to 8 feet and rolled in the putt.

Garcia, trying to become the first European to win the PGA Championship since 1930, birdied the first hole and then hit driver and a 9-iron to 6 feet on the par-5 second, hitting the putt for the eagle to cut the lead to a shot. He had putts in the 12-foot range for birdie on the next two holes but burnt the edges of the cup both times.

The Spaniard pulled even with Curtis at 3 under with a miraculous birdie at the short, drivable par-4 6th. He came off his tee shot which sailed some 40 yards right of the hole into some wet, long rough. With the gallery making a funnel to the green, he hit a wedge with a lot of spin on it that stopped 7 feet past the pin and he rolled in the putt for birdie.

Not known for his length off the tee, Curtis hit his driver perfectly straight and to the front edge on the 294-yard hole, two-putting for the go-ahead birdie.

Others hovered near the lead as the leaders headed for the stretch run, battling the elements by putting on rainsuits and ducking under umbrellas.

Two-time defending British Open champion Padraig Harrington was 1 under for the round and even par for the championship.

At 1 over was India's Jeev Milkha Singh.

After shooting a 71 in the third round, Phil Mickelson made a run with three consecutive birdies to get to 1 over. A late bogey knocked him down to 2 over and he added another at the 11th hole.

Most of the field had to return to Oakland Hills on Sunday morning to complete the third round. The top three twosomes never even got a chance to tee off on Saturday before rain, lightning and thunder created ponds where there never were ponds at the old Donald Ross layout.

Fredrik Jacobson aced the 193-yard 13th hole with a 4-iron.

Written By RUSTY MILLER

Email To A Friend