Van Pelt eyes first PGA Tour victory

Golfer up by one at Puerto Rico Open

Bo Van Pelt understands many careers could be changed forever today, including his own.

Van Pelt maintained his one-stroke lead at the Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande, heading a leaderboard of players old and young searching for that breakthrough PGA Tour win or battling to regain past success.

Van Pelt, at 32, is among the former. He's earned better than $1.3 million on tour each of the past few season but has never won.

He shot a 71 at Trump International Golf Club on Saturday to move to 13 under.

Right behind him were 43-year-old Greg Kraft (69), whose only win came in 1993, and 35-year-old Briny Baird (69), who's never done better than second.

Another stroke behind were Brenden Pappas and Jerry Kelly. Pappas has never won on tour, while Kelly's two career victories came in 2002.

The winner will earn $630,000, along tour playing privileges through 2010. For players like Pappas and Kraft, victory could bring fewer sleepless nights about their next tournament.

Those incentives could mean an awful lot of jittery golfers in the final groups.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see tomorrow," Van Pelt said. "It also could be fun because it's going to mean a lot to somebody who hasn't won in a while or the fact that it's first."

Former Duke golfer Ryan Blaum (72) is four shots back.

ALSO SATURDAY

MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN: South Africa's Hennie Otto shot his third straight 5-under 67 for a five-shot lead heading into the last round of the PGA European Tour event at Santo da Serrra, Medeira Islands.

Scotland's Alastair Forsyth was in second place after shooting a 6-under 66.

NOTE

WIE WITHDRAWS WITH WRIST INJURY: Michelle Wie withdrew from the Safeway International on Friday after tweaking an injury to her left wrist during practice last week.

Wie, 18, received a sponsor exemption to play in the LPGA Tour event next week at Superstition Mountain in Arizona. She has played one tournament this year, finishing 20 strokes behind winner Paula Creamer in the Fields Open in Hawaii late last month.

Wie's agent, Jill Smoller of the William Morris Agency, said the Stanford freshman reinjured her left wrist when she accidentally hit a ball that was embedded in thick rough on the driving range at Stanford on March 13.

Smoller said Wie immediately consulted a doctor at Stanford and also saw a hand specialist in Los Angeles on Monday.

"Fortunately, X-rays, an MRI [exam] and a CAT scan didn't show any major injury," Smoller said. "Her doctor diagnosed it as a sprain, and advised Michelle to rest the wrist for a few weeks to allow it to heal properly."