MAMARONECK, Aug 17: Justin Leonard, ignoring oppressive heat and a two-hour weather delay, shot a course-record 65 yesterday, in a scintillating duel with David Love that left them tied for the lead after three rounds of the PGA Championship.

25-year-old Leonard, who shot a 65 in the final round to win the British Open last month, birdied four of the last five holes to overtake Love in a stirring two-man battle, only to watch Love also birdie the difficult 18th in fading light to leave them tied at seven under par and seven shots ahead of their nearest rivals.

Love, 33, still seeking his first Major championship, shot a four-under-par 66, which he also shot in the first round as he and John Daly tied the then course record for Winged Foot Golf Club's legendary West course, which was hosting its fifth Major championship.

Leonard, cool as a cucumber in boiling heat and humidity, played flawlessly in lowering by one stroke the record established by Fuzzy Zoeller in the 1984 US Open.

The soft-spoken Texan, whose brilliant short game kept him alive in the first two rounds when he played erratically, did not make a bogey, hit all 16 fairways and reached 14 greens in regulation on a day when everyone but him and Love struggled mightily in the heat.

Love also made five birdies and a number of outstanding par saves. He might have led at the end but for a bogey on the 212-yard 13th hole, where he hit his 4-iron short of the green.

``I played really good golf today. I had some good ups and downs. I didn't have a 5 on my card,'' said Love, who had to play the last four holes after play was suspended for almost two hours due to a fierce thunderstorm.

``I made three really good putts on the last holes,'' added Love, who saved par from thick greenside rough on the 16th hole and saved another from a deep sand bunker at the 17th.

``I don't think I ever felt so good about my swing,'' added Love. ``I'm pretty confident and I hope I can get the job done tomorrow.''

Leonard and Love both got the job done on Saturday when most of the contenders seemed to give in to the heat, or to Winged Foot's unforgiving rough and treacherous greens, which the heat dried out and made extremely fast.

``It's like putting a three-footer but they're going 12 feet,'' Love said of the severely sloped greens, which befuddle many players. He said his newfound accuracy off the tee enabled him to play more aggressively.

Leonard said, ``It was a nice change of pace from the last two days, where I was scrambling a little bit. The round at the British Open on Sunday was my best round, but if you separate what was going on around me, this was pretty close.''

Lee Janzen, who started the day with a one-stroke lead over Love and two over Leonard, stumbled to a 74 that left him tied at level-par with Tom Kite, the 47-year-old US Ryder Cup captain, who shot 71.

Six players were at 211, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who were both in the hunt on the back nine but faltered badly.

Daly, who led the first round with Love, also let Winged Foot get the best of him, shooting seven-over 77 that left him 13 strokes adrift.

Masters champion Woods, playing in his first PGA Championship and his first tournament at Winged Foot, double bogeyed the 17th and bogeyed the 18th to shoot 71 while Mickelson made a triple bogey at the 16th and a bogey at the last for a 73.

``It was disappointing to finish the way I did -- being right there and in contention just three back going into the last round and do something that dumb,'' Woods said.

When they collapsed at the end, only Leonard and Love were left to battle it out one more day for the championship.

``That's been my goal since the beginning of the week,'' Leonard said. ``To get into a good position for Sunday.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.