St. Simons Island, Ga. - Heath Slocum made his first bogey in 50 holes at Sea Island but did little else wrong Saturday, posting a third straight 4-under 66 to take a one-shot lead at the new McGladrey Classic.

Slocum stuck to his formula on the Seaside course, trying to keep it out of the fickle Bermuda rough and making enough putts to keep himself in position to win for the second straight year.

He was at 12-under 198, one shot ahead of Troy Merritt and Joe Durant. Slocum will play in the final group with Merritt, a PGA Tour rookie who had a bogey-free 64 at just the right time. Like so many others at this Fall Series event, Merritt is trying to finish among the top 125 on the money list to keep his card. Merritt came into this tournament at No. 123.

Joe Durant, who started the year with limited status, is at No. 131. He put himself in the mix by running off four straight birdies toward the end of his front nine for a 68.

Toward the end of another gorgeous day on the Golden Isles, it was a matter of keeping mistakes at a minimum.

David Toms, the 36-hole leader, stumbled twice along the St. Simons Sound. He pitched over the 14th green and had to scramble for bogey, then caught a flier from the rough over the green on the par-5 15th and had made another bogey. Toms shot a 70, but still was only two shots out of the lead going into a Sunday that could be wide open.

O'Meara leads at Seniors

Mark O'Meara, looking for his first individual victory on the Champions Tour, shot a 1-under 69 for a two-stoke lead entering the final round of the Senior Players Championship at Potomac, Md.

O'Meara will be at 5 under going into today at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. He is the only golfer in the field to shoot under par all three rounds.

"I felt like I played pretty well," O'Meara said. "I was disappointed a little bit in my finish, but overall I felt like I hit some good shots. Anytime you keep shooting under par on this golf course is pretty good."

The tournament is the last of the 50-and-over tour's five major championships. The 53-year-old O'Meara has nine second-place finishes in four years on the Champions Tour. He was part of a team victory at the Legends of Golf event in April.

Two shots off the lead are second-round leader Russ Cochran (73), Michael Allen (72) and Loren Roberts (68).

Kerr takes 3-stroke lead

Cristie Kerr moved into position for her third victory of the year, shooting a 5-under 67 to take a three-stroke lead in the Navistar LPGA Classic at Prattville, Ala.

Kerr, who won the LPGA State Farm Classic and LPGA Championship - by 12 strokes - in consecutive starts in June, had a 17-under 199 total on the links-style Senator layout at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail's Capitol Hill complex. She opened with rounds of 65 and 67.

Katherine Hull (67) and Na Yeon Choi (70) were tied for second.

Kerr had a chance for a bigger lead, but had a double bogey on the 15th and bogeyed the 18th.

"That's golf," Kerr said. "Had I started out like that and finished with eight birdies, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about it. We've just got to take the attitude that I had eight birdies and three bogeys, basically, and still 5 under even with the bad finish."

After matching the course record with a 63 on Friday, Mika Miyazato shot a 71 to drop into a tie for fourth at 13 under with Se Ri Pak (67), Haeji Kang (67) and Hee Young Park (67).