VERONA, N.Y. — When the wind picked up, Steve Flesch flashed a smile and made certain nobody would catch him.

Seeking his second victory in two months, Flesch thrived again on a windy day, shooting a 6-under 66 yesterday to take a four-shot lead over Carl Pettersson and Charles Warren after three rounds at the inaugural Turning Stone Resort Championship.

"Believe me, if you're not hitting well, you don't want to play in winds because it just magnifies your errors," said Flesch, who won at Reno in early August under blustery conditions. "But if you are hitting it solidly, wind can only help you. It can only separate you from everybody else. Today, I was glad that it blew, and I hope it blows tomorrow."

Flesch was at 19-under 197, tying the PGA Tour's lowest 54-hole score in relation to par this year.

Pettersson (66) briefly tied for the lead after consecutive birdies on the back nine. But despite a stiff wind that made the back nine at the 7,482-yard Atunyote Golf Club course more of an adventure than it had been the previous two days, Flesch rallied with four birdies over the final five holes to keep the top spot to himself.

And he'll like the forecast for today — a 15 mph wind and 10-degree drop in temperature to the low 70s were predicted.

"I'll be aggressive when I can," said Flesch, who completed his round with a 20-foot downhill birdie putt. "Depends on the wind, truthfully. The conditions are going to dictate how aggressively we're going to be able to play. But Carl and Charles can make a ton of birdies."

Warren (68), who is seeking his first PGA Tour victory, birdied his final hole to tie Pettersson.

They were two shots in front of Hawai'i's Parker McLachlin, who fired a 65 and is alone in fourth place at 203.

Michael Allen (68) and Bill Haas (69) were another stroke back at 12 under.

LPGA QUALIFYING

HAWAI'I'S DWYER MISSES

Kailua's Bridget Dwyer shot a final-round 2-over 74 and finished tied for 62nd with a 300 total in the LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Dwyer missed the qualifying score of 293.

The top 31 finishers here will join the top 30 finishers and ties from the second sectional qualifying (Oct. 2 to 5 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla.), current LPGA Tour members attempting to improve their status and the players who finished sixth through 15th on the final 2007 Duramed Futures Tour money list at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.

Yani Tseng of Taiwan earned medalist honors with a 72—285 and a one-stroke victory over four players.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

WIEBE ON RECORD PACE

Mark Wiebe shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead and break the 36-hole record in the SAS Championship at Cary, N.C.

Wiebe, in position to become the first player to win in his Champions Tour debut since Mark McNulty in the 2004 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, had a 13-under 131 total.

Dick Mast (65) and Dana Quigley (66) were tied for second at 132.

EUROPEAN PGA

FOSTER TOPS BRITISH

England's Mark Foster made a double bogey on the last hole for a 3-under 69 and a two-stroke lead in the British Masters at Sutton Coldfield, England.

Foster was at 10-under 206 at The Belfry. Gregory Bourdy (65), Niclas Fasth (67), Fredrik Andersson (68), Lee Westwood (70), Martin Erlandsson (70) and Ian Poulter (70) were tied for second.