Pernice takes 1-shot lead at AT&T National

Tom Pernice Jr. was easy to ignore Saturday in the AT&T National until he wound up in the lead.

All he did was make 15 pars on an explosive afternoon of birdies and bogeys at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., and his lone complaint was that he made only 2 putts longer than his shadow. One was from 4 feet for par, another from 7 feet for birdie.

But it was that steady hand that gave him a 1-under 69 and a 1-shot lead over Steve Stricker, leaving the 48-year-old Pernice optimistic about winning for the first time in seven years.

"It will be interesting to see how it goes tomorrow," Pernice said. "But I'm looking forward to it."

There were plenty of fireworks on a calm, muggy afternoon that led to so many possibilities until Pernice got up-and-down from just short of the 18th green to finish at 10-under 210.

Stricker is worried about where his tee shots are going, but he made his only 2 bogeys from the middle of the fairway and made a birdie on the 218-yard 10th hole for the third straight day.

Jeff Overton, the co-leader with Pernice going into the third round, made back-to-back double bogeys by coming up short on the 14th hole and going over the hill on the 15th hole, then answered with consecutive birdies to get back in the game.

Overton shot 71 and was at 202 along with Tommy Armour III (66) and Nick O'Hern (67), the left-handed Aussie best known for beating Tiger Woods twice in match play.

NW Arkansas Championship: Angela Park's final putt was as impressive as her round - an uphill birdie attempt from about 25 feet that capped a 10-under 62.

Kristy McPherson wasn't about to be outdone.

McPherson answered Park with a birdie of her own, sinking a downhill putt from the fringe, about 20 feet from the hole. The two playing partners were within a stroke of the lead in the second round of the LPGA Tour's NW Arkansas Championship at Rogers, Ark.

Park and McPherson were at 11 under at Pinnacle Country Club. Meena Lee shot a 65 in the second round to finish the day at 12 under.

Dick's Sporting Goods Open: Argentina's Eduardo Romero shot his second straight 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a 1-shot lead over Fulton Allem and local favorite Joey Sindelar in the Champions Tour's Dick's Sporting Goods Open at Endicott, N.Y.

Romero, who began the day 2 shots behind first-round leader Joe Ozaki, had 16 birdies and 1 double bogey over the two rounds and was at 14-under 130.

European Open: England's Ross Fisher shot a 3-under 69 to take a three-stroke lead over Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell in the European Open at Ash, England.

Fisher had a 16-under 200 total on The London Golf Club's Heritage Course. McDowell shot a 71. South Africa's David Frost (69) was 10 under.