Through 16 holes Saturday in the third round of the Senior PGA Championship, Tom Lehman had been one of the few steady players on a moving day that lived up to its name with golfers surging up and tumbling down the leaderboard.

He had hit 11 of 13 fairways and 15 of 16 greens in regulation, made three birdies with no bogeys and — at 8-under-par for the tournament — was in sole possession of the lead Saturday at Colorado Golf Club.

Then on the par-3 17th, he hit what he thought was a great tee shot — a low 7-iron that moved right to left, exactly on the line he wanted. He thought, in fact, he hit it too well and “was telling it to get down,” he said.

But to Lehman’s surprise, his shot wound up short and in a bunker. It then took him two shots to get out of the trap, in which he said the sand was “abnormally heavy,” another chip to get on the green and two putts “for an easy triple” bogey.

“I was not very happy, obviously, to give all my hard work back on one hole,” he said.

Lehman rallied with a birdie on the par-4 18th for a 71 to claim a share of the 54-hole lead with Jay Don Blake at 6-under. But they hardly are clear of the field.

Three players are two shots behind, including Mark O’Meara, who fired a 5-under 67, and second-round leader Fred Couples, who struggled to a 75; three players are three back; and four are within striking distance four back, considering one of them, David Frost, set the course record Saturday with a bogey-free round of 65, a day after firing a 77.

“There’s six or eight or 10 guys that, if they play good tomorrow, can definitely win this tournament,” O’Meara said.

Blake, who has shot rounds of 71, 69 and 70, will be the clear underdog among those contenders.

For much of his career on the PGA Tour, Blake was plagued by back and elbow problems that probably kept him from reaching his potential. Blake, the 1981 NCAA Player of the Year, has made 396 starts, including 367 on the PGA Tour and 14 on the Champions Tour, since his lone victory in 1991.

He got choked up late Saturday afternoon talking about what a victory would mean to him.

“I know it would bring a lot of tears,” he said. “It would mean quite a bit.”

Blake, who made five birdies and three bogeys, twice got to 7-under before falling back to 6-under. But his was not even close to the day’s most up-and-down scorecard.

Chien Soon Lu, who started the day two shots off the lead, made five birdies and six bogeys and will be three shots off the pace when the final round begins. And Couples, the leader after two rounds, was even par through eight holes, then played the next four at 5-over, four-putting the 10th along the way. He rallied a bit with birdies on the par-4 13th and par-4 14th to stay close to the leaders.

Tom Kite didn’t rally. After beginning the day a shot off the lead and then pulling even with Couples with a birdie on the par-4 third, Kite fell apart, playing the next five holes at 6-over.

While Lehman’s hiccup cost him three shots, he still has a share of the lead.

“If I play a good round (today), somebody’s got to play a great round (today) to beat me,” he said.

If Saturday was any indication, a great round — and some really poor ones — are out there.

Heading into the final day of the Senior PGA, Tom Lehman is tied for the lead with Jay Don Blake. Photo by Associated Press