Fred Couples, Paul Casey, Colt Knost and Tommy Armour III were all at 10 under when the horns sounded at 7:34 p.m. The players will resume the round early today, then immediately tee off for the final round.
Van Pelt, winless in eight-plus years on the PGA Tour, shot a 67 in the second round, then birdied three of the first seven holes in his third round.
Knost, playing with Van Pelt, was leading at 11 under until a three-putt bogey at the par-5 eight. Van Pelt hit a pitch to 3 feet and sank the birdie putt to switch places with Knost and take the outright lead.
Couples, fourth at Redstone last year, had birdies on both par 5s on the front nine, then sank a 6-foot birdie putt on the 10th to join the group at 10 under. Casey, who shared the second-round lead at 8 under, birdied the par-5 fourth and holed a 37-footer on No. 7.
Robert Karlsson, Lee Westwood and Geoff Ogilvy were among the group at 9 under. Padraig Harrington and Justin Leonard were among six players at 8 under.
Greg Norman, making a rare PGA Tour appearance to prepare for the Masters, played 36 holes Saturday and was 6 under par after three completed rounds.
Phil Mickelson missed the cut at 9 over par. He followed a first-round 77 with a 76 that included two triple bogeys.
McPherson eyes first win in LPGA’s first major
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) - Kristy McPherson’s first LPGA Tour victory might just come in a major.
McPherson shot a 2-under-par 70 on a hot, calm day to reach 8-under 208 and take sole possession of the lead in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first LPGA major. Fellow American and 2007 U.S. Open winner Cristie Kerr (70) was one shot back at Mission Hills.
McPherson, 27, with six career top-10 finishes but no victories, is playing the Kraft Nabisco for the first time. On Friday, she and Christina Kim teed off before strong wind raked the course and jumped into a tie for the lead.
Kim faltered with a 75 and was five back. Brittany Lincicome, whose 66 topped the first round, also shot 70 and is two strokes off the lead.
Defending champion Lorena Ochoa shot her best round this week, a 72, and was tied for 15th at 2 over. Michelle Wie had her second straight 81 and was last among 70 weekend qualifiers at 17 over.
