By Garry Smits
Florida Times-Union sports writer
Morris News Service

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - Tommy Tolles took the best and worst of everything man and Mother Nature threw at him, and survived a test of nerve and patience Saturday to retain his lead in The Players Championship.

The slow-talking, unflappable 29-year-old Fort Myers native shot a 69 during the wettest conditions of a gray, dank day at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass stadium course to end exactly where he was Friday - with a two-shot lead in the PGA Tour's richest event and the chance Sunday to win a record $630,000 out of a $3.5 million purse.

Tolles has a three-round total of 14-under par 202, with Jacksonville's David Duval (68) in sole possession of second at 12-under 206 and Michael Bradley (66) and Jay Haas (69) tied for third at 11-under 207.

And with the steady rain all but painting a bulls-eye on soft greens already receptive to scoring, a who's-who of golf pushed their way into contention. A whopping 36 players broke 70 and 50 of the 77 in the field broke par.

Lurking dangerously behind are seven players at 10-under 206, including 1984 Players champion Fred Couples (68), Ponte Vedra Beach residents Fred Funk (67) and Vijay Singh (68), two rising international stars in Colin Montgomerie (66) and Ernie Els (65), first day co-leader Kenny Perry (70) and Scott Gump (68).

At 9-under 207 and very much in the picture are Phil Mickelson, who shot the day's low round of 64, Jim Furyk (67) of Ponte Vedra, John Daly (69) and Nolan Henke (68).

Tolles battled it all, rain and contenders, and came through admirably for a player still seeking his first Tour victory.

``It was a little miserable out there,'' said Tolles, who has led since his second-day round of 64. ``I didn't make all the glamorous 25 and 50-foot putts like I did Friday, but I was always in the fairway and I was always on the green. I was taking my two-putts. Par was a very good score, no matter what hole you were playing.''

Tolles teed off after it already began raining, and got the worst of it along the way. But he broke from the gate with birdies on two of his first three holes and stumbled only at No. 18, with a bogey on a waterlogged green that had standing water.

``At 18, I was just trying to get home,'' Tolles said. ``I hit a really good approach shot and it spun down the slope a little bit. But all and all, it was a good round.''

Duval rallied nicely after a bogey at the par-5 ninth hole and birdied three holes on the back nine. He's well aware of today's implications: contending for the Tour's top event, in his hometown, and like Tolles, seeking his first Tour victory.

``This would be a good place to start,'' said Duval, who is playing in the final pairing of the day for the first time since last year's Memorial Tournament. ``But I have to sort of put some of that out of my mind. The basics are still the same, what you're trying to accomplish is still the same, and that's winning. The only difference is that I might enjoy a little more support than if I was in a Bob Hope.''

And Duval admitted that he might be ``a little nervous.''

``But if you're not nervous on Sunday, it means you're teeing off at 9 a.m.,'' he said. ``Or you're not playing at all.''

Tolles and Duval held up well but one of the contenders in the first two rounds still seeking their first victory, Justin Leonard, didn't. Leonard soared to an 80 - the highest round of the day - and with a 43 on the back nine, fell to 1-under par 215.

Haas is the only player among the final two pairings who has won on Tour, and he and Bradley both reached 12-under at one point before settling for three shots off the pace. Bradley birdied four of six holes at one point on the front nine and Haas played with a veteran's steadiness, bogeying only the first and last holes.

Of the players at 10-under, Funk and Singh had the most spectacular moves into contention.

Funk drained long birdie putts at Nos. 17 and 18, the latter going from the bottom to the upper shelf from 50 feet away. Singh also birdied No. 17, and chipped in for birdie at No. 18.

Els and Montgomerie carved up the front side, Els carding at 31 and Montgomerie a 32.