Continued: One casual glance tells it all

Initially, R.W. Eaks said he was just watching himself play golf during the second round of the 3M Championship on Saturday. He didn't worry about much else, especially not other players' scores.

Then came holes 17 and 18 at TPC Twin Cities, each of which has a leaderboard not far from the green for all the players to see.

Eaks couldn't resist.

"I'm a leaderboard watcher," he admitted after shooting a 9-under-par 63 that put him in first place. "I can't wait to watch the Golf Channel so I can see the scores in other tournaments. Yeah, I love leaderboards."

If the one on No. 17 was the first he peeked at all day, Eaks picked a goodie.

By the time he was there, he was already at 15 under par for the tournament. A birdie on No. 18 followed, moving Eaks to 16 under, good for a three-stroke lead over Loren Roberts and Gene Jones heading into the final round.

First-round leader Dana Quigley is at 12 under. Bernhard Langer birdied the 18th to get to 11 under.

Eaks will be in the tournament's final group despite many health problems.

At the end of last season and earlier this year, he had medical issues involving lost strength and allergic reactions. And not long ago, he was told both of his knees will soon have to be replaced. This news came a decade after he fell into a bunker and injured his hip.

He is receiving therapy on the knees this week, which is helping physically even though he still spends most of his rounds riding in a cart, which is allowed on the Champions Tour.

Eaks said he has been in better spirits since learning two weeks ago that he'll soon be receiving nightly treatment via braces with electric stimulation.

"I'm pretty excited about that," he said. "There's a little light at the end of the tunnel instead of having to give up this game as far as walking. I want to be a full-time guy out here. Not a part-time guy."

For a while Saturday, it appeared all players were going to be part-timers. For a day, anyway.

At about 2:40 p.m., with 16 groups still on the course, severe weather in the area -- including a tornado warning -- brought play to a halt for nearly three hours.

During that time, the majority of the spectators were told to go home for the day because of lightning. And though the players did get through their rounds, it was in front of sparse galleries.

"Especially when that warning comes out for a tornado, I think it's wise for people to go home, unfortunately," said Hale Irwin, who shot 66 Saturday and is one of four players six shots back at 10-under 134. "Safety first, but it's sort of like playing in a vacuum."

Playing in front of crowds big -- like the estimated 35,000 fans who came before the storm -- or small, it didn't matter to Eaks.

The two-time Champions Tour winner was pin-seeking all day. Eaks made 10 birdies Saturday, never having to convert one outside of 9 feet.

"This was one of my best ball-striking rounds," said Eaks, whose 128 total through 36 holes set a two-day tournament record.

His 9 under was also his low round of the year, and his three-stroke lead matches the largest in 3M history.

He will be in the final group this afternoon, with Roberts and Jones. Eaks ranks ninth on the Champions Tour in driving distance. Jones is 33rd and Roberts is 49th.

But that, Roberts said, shouldn't have too much to do with how things will pan out today, maybe just a little bit on the par-5s.

The rest is all-around execution.

"When you come here, you really have to be playing well," he said. "Everybody makes birdies here. You have to shoot 5 or 6 under [each day] to have a chance.

Brian Stensaas • 612-673-4127