Aug 7, 2005 3 min read

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) – Tom Purtzer shot a 3-under 69 Saturday to take a three-stroke after two rounds of the 3M Championship at the TPC of the Twin Cities. Purtzer, who opened with tournament record-tying 9-under 63, moved to 12-under 132 in chasing his second Champions Tour victory in 17 months.

Five players are tied for second at 9 under, including Lonnie Nielsen (68), Bruce Lietzke (71), Craig Stadler (67), David Eger (68) and Hajime Meshiai (66).

Defending champion Tom Kite is in a five-player logjam at 8 under after a second-round 69.

For the third straight year, Purtzer will lead the field on the final day of the 54-hole event. Last year, he closed with a 74 and tied for third, three behind Kite. In 2003, a final-round 74 left him in a tie for 10th, four behind winner Wayne Levi.

Purtzer, who has won two of six Champions Tour events in which he was leading or tied for first heading into the final round, had three birdies on the front nine and was 13 under after his birdie at No. 12. But on the par-3 17th, his birdie try from 57 feet stopped short and he missed the par try on the ensuing putt.

“Kind of a disappointing finish,” Purtzer said. “All in all, I felt like I played pretty solid.”

Purtzer – who lost to Mark McNulty in a playoff at the Bank of America Championships six weeks ago, and whose last victory came at the Toshiba Senior Classic in March 2004 – said he won’t be thinking about the times he failed to hold the lead.

“What happened a year ago doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Purtzer said.

Nielsen played brilliantly, recording five birdies, and could have been alone in second place at 10 under if not for a bogey on the final hole. He mis-hit a chip on his birdie try from the rough, and the ball rolled across the green and thick grass prevented the ball from falling into a greenside lake.

Nielsen missed the par try and dropped into a five-way tie for second.

D.A. Weibring, who finished in the group at 8 under, made up the most ground. After opening with a 71, Weibring started strong in the second round, recording birdies on his first three holes. He made another birdie at No. 10 before making a 49-footer for an eagle at the 12th. He dropped a stroke with a bogey at No. 14, but rebounded with birdies at Nos. 15-17 for a 32 on the back nine.

“Good, solid round,” Weibring said. “Made up for some poor-to-average putting (Friday). Hopefully I get myself back into the tournament.”