Doug Tewell, the seniors' 2000 Rookie of the Year, was particularly tough on the defenseless course. His 7-under-par 65 gave him a two-shot advantage going into today's final round and a tournament-record 129 total after 36 holes.

After waking at 3 a.m. with a kidney stone attack — "I guess that's a thing that goes with our age group" — Tewell came out at 8 a.m. to finish his first round, which had been suspended Friday night because of a weather delay.

He birdied two of his four holes to become the first-round leader — on a delay basis — at 64, and earn a place in yesterday's final group. After a 2-hour nap, he birdied four of his last six holes in the afternoon to blow by a bunch of hot golfers.

Ten are within six shots. Honolulu's Dave Eichelberger is alone in second at 131.

Defending champion Dana Quigley and Fuzzy Zoeller are tied for third at 132. All shot 65 yesterday, with Zoeller collecting the only bogey.

Jack Nicklaus is among four tied for fifth at 134. Hualalai's designer has not won since 1996. He turned 64 Wednesday and shot 66 yesterday.

"If I ever shoot my age I'll win," said Nicklaus, whose final-round 66 here last year tied him for 11th. "If I shoot 64 and don't win, I'll be disappointed."

"When the golf course is in this good a shape, the best players are going to find a way to make birdies ..." he said. "I know I got to go low. The course record might be nice.

"This golf course needs winds to toughen it up. But I'm telling you what, when you've got greens that are this nice, it's shooting-gallery-type of golf. We like it, it's fun. ... I've got to go out and run like a scared rabbit. I won't be able to breathe until I hit the second shot at 18."

Hualalai was so peaceful and pristine yesterday, the average score was 68.667. Of the 39 players, 25 shot in the 60s.

Tewell, who fell out of the top 10 last season for the first time in his four-year Champions career, is so tuned in he has only missed two fairways in two days. That came on the first and last holes yesterday. He birdied both.

Five more birdie putts would fall, from 2 feet to 20 feet. For the second day there were no bogeys.

Eichelberger was nearly as precise and gave some of the credit to a humbling performance last week on O'ahu. After shooting "lots of rounds" in the 60s at O'ahu Country Club, where he's a member, and at Waialae, where he played in the Sony Open in Hawai'i, Eichelberger missed the Sony cut, when things "went haywire from the start."

This week, he is 7-under par on the par-5 holes. He also birdied three of the par-3s yesterday.

"It's kind of a birdie contest being the conditions what they are," Eichelberger, 60, said.

SHORT PUTTS: The second-round leader has won this tournament eight of the past nine years. The exception was George Archer, who came from two back to win in 2000. ... Dana Quigley and Fuzzy Zoeller, who are tied for third at 13-under going into the final round, were tied for first at 13-under, with Larry Nelson, last year. ... The tournament charity is Kona Rotary Club, with the funds earmarked to establish youth scholarships for Kealakehe High School students. ... Chris Sutton, who works in the Wailea Resort cart barn and pro shop, is Quigley's caddy again. He was on the winning bag here last year. ... Al Geiberger is the only player to defend a MasterCard title in its 20 previous years. Geiberger won in 1992 and '93.