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By KEN PETERS; AP Sports Writer
Sunday, February 21, 1999     Page: 1A

LOS ANGELES- Ted Tryba joined David Duval and Tiger Woods with a record of
his own, shooting a 61 at storied Riviera Country Club to vault into the
Nissan Open lead.
   
Tryba, continuing this year’s run of low scores, had nine birdies and an
eagle on his way to a 10-under-par round Saturday that bettered the course
record by one stroke.
    The Hanover Area High School graduate was at 13-under 200, two shots in
front of the imposing trio of Woods, Ernie Els and Davis Love III, with other
big names not far behind.
   
Tryba, who bogeyed the final hole by muffing his chip from the fringe and
missing a 12-foot par putt, obviously putted well for most of his record
round, including dropping a 30-footer for eagle on No. 11.
   
“It seems that even on the toughest courses, guys are unconscious,” Tryba
said of the trend this year. “I’ve never seen scores like this. It just shows
you how good these guys are.
   
“The precedent is set; you may have to shoot 10-under to win.”
   
Woods, in his victory at San Diego last weekend, set a Torrey Pines record
with a third-round 62.
   
Last month in the Bob Hope, Duval shot 59, the PGA’s lowest final round
ever and matching the lowest 18-hole score, to win the event. Duval also set a
Mercedes Championships record when he won at 26-under-par in January.
   
“I don’t know what they’ve been doing in the offseason, but they are just
coming out and firing,” said Els, a native of South Africa who has won the
U.S. Open twice.
   
“Riviera is one of the classic, toughest courses in the world. Guys are
just playing on a different level right now.”
   
Els had a 68, as did Love, who won the 1997 PGA Championship and holds 12
other titles.
   
Woods, who shot 62-65 the final two rounds to win at San Diego, was
clicking again with a 65 that was his lowest score ever at Riviera.
   
“It used to be that you could shoot 1 or 2 over one day and be able to come
back with a 66,” Woods said. “You can’t do that any more. You know somebody’s
going to shoot a very low score, and you’ve got to keep up.”
   
Duval, who has won nine of his last 30 tournaments, pulled within four
shots of the lead with a third-round 67. He had fallen back in the pack with a
second-round 71.
   
Jerry Kelly, a 32-year-old looking for his first victory, shot 67 to tie
Duval at 9-under.
   
Nick Price, with a 67, was five shots off the lead. Among the others at 205
were Bob Estes, who held a one-shot lead after two rounds but shot a 72; and
defending champion Billy Mayfair, quietly but efficiently plugging away all
week. Mayfair shot 69.
   
Tryba, whose only PGA Tour title came at the 1995 Anheuser-Busch Golf
Classic, found himself on the flip side of a familiar situation on Saturday.
He led after two rounds at San Diego only to see Woods take charge with his
record round. Tryba, meanwhile, was having trouble with a sore back and
struggled the last two days, shooting 74 both days to finish tied for 21st and
come away with only $28,080.
   
Riviera, a stately course revered by such all-time greats as Ben Hogan,
Byron Nelson, and Sam Snead in their heydays and Ben Crenshaw and Fred
Couples, among others, in recent years, plays to par 71 over 6,953 yards.
   
Three players had shot 62 at Riviera- Kenny Perry in 1995, Couples in 1990,
and Larry Mize in 1985. Of that trio, only Couples wound up winning the
tournament.
   
Tryba tied the tournament record: George Archer shot 61 when the event was
played at Rancho Park Country Club in 1983.