AHEAD OF THE PACK WEIR DISTANCES HIMSELF WITH A RECORD EFFORT.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

If Mike Weir is the Comeback Kid of the PGA Tour, then everyone else in the Nissan Open field is hoping Weir has one more comeback in him today.

Maybe he can come back to the pack.

Weir's six career victories - including last year here and at the Masters - required him to rally on the final day. This time, hehas a sticky grip yet again on a crown after his third-round 66 Saturday in drizzly conditions provided him with a five-stroke lead over his nearest challenger, Shigeki Maruyama.

Another stroke back is Jeff Maggert with Scott McCarron sitting seven behind. John Daly heads a group that is eight shots back and another six are bunched nine strokes arrears.

Yet if Weir keeps playing the way he has, the only challenge he'll have is from Lanny Wadkins' 19-year-old L.A. Open record of 264. Weir needs a 68 to match it.

``I felt like I was in the tournament until I got here and saw what Mike did,'' Daly said on the practice green after concluding his round. ``I thought, `Wow. Is he playing the same course we are?' ''

It didn't seem like it. The top 11 golfers began the day bunched within four strokes, but only Weir and Maggert - who shot a 69 - weathered the rainy conditions well. None of the other leaders came in below 70.

As well as Weir has been playing, nobody is conceding just yet. Especially Weir.

He came from seven strokes behind to win last year at Riviera. Also, as good as Weir has been from behind he's been foul from the front.

Weir has owned at least a share of a tournament lead five times after 54 holes and has never won the tournament.

``I'm looking at it as a big challenge,'' said Weir, a left-handed Canadian. ``I want to prove to myself that I can handle leading by five shots like I am and go out there and play solid golf tomorrow and make whoever is challenging tomorrow really have to do something phenomenal to catch me.

``Maybe in the past I tried to do too much. I haven't played as well with the lead in the past. But I've got some things to prove to myself tomorrow.''

Others on the fringe of contention are hopeful Weir will give them an opening.

``This is a funny golf course,'' Maggert said. ``When you look at all of the scores yesterday, it looked like it may take 20-under to win. It might still do that. But after four days here, the golf course usually wins the battle and you know, usually around 15-under is a pretty good target score here. If you can get to 15-under you can win a lot of tournaments on this golf course.''

Weir took command Saturday on the par-3 sixth hole. He'd struggled along at 12-under-par, where he started the day, and was knotted in a four-way tie for the lead with Maruyama, McCarron and Briny Baird. But he knocked home a 16-foot birdie putt while the other leaders all bogeyed.

Then on the back nine, he put space between himself and field by making birdies on the 10th, 14th and 16th and par on everything else.

It's a result he'd like to duplicate today.

``I don't plan on doing anything different,'' said Weir, who is trying to become the first back-to-back winner of the tournament since Corey Pavin in 1995. ``I want to go out there and play the way I have been playing. Maybe that's the difference. I want to go out there and try to keep the ball in play on the smart side of the hole. It's nice to be able to do that when your putting is good. You don't feel like you have to stiff every hole. It just kind of puts the rest of your game at a nice comfort level.

So comfortable that no comeback is required.

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Photo:

Mike Weir, the leader after three rounds, is looking to win his second consecutive Nissan Open.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer