The last time Birk Nelson was making waves in the Northwest's golf scene, he was an All-American at Oregon State battling Tiger Woods for the Pacific-10 Conference championship in the mid-1990s.

Well, he's resurfaced at the 83rd Washington Open Invitational in Kent.

Nelson, now the head pro at Diamond Woods Golf Club in Oregon, fired the day's best round – a 4-under-par 68 – at Meridian Valley Country Club, and takes a one stroke lead into today's final round.

At 6-under 138, he leads former University of Washington standout Derek Berg, an amateur who led after his opening 67. Berg shot 72 on Wednesday under a light drizzle and colder temperatures, and is at 139, as is Willapa Harbor Golf Club pro Louie Runge.

Defending champion Brian Nosler, of Portland, sits two strokes back at 140 after his second-round 69. So is Tacoma's Chris Griffin, who has taken a leave of absence from Tacoma Country and Golf Club to try and qualify for the Canadian Tour.

Nelson knows all about tour golf. Twice a Pac-10 tournament runner-up, he's played on the Nationwide Tour, the Canadian Tour and Gateway Tour, and has been a professional for 13 years.

He's won big tournaments before, capturing the 1995 Pacific Coast Amateur after his junior season at Oregon State.

Berg leads a host of amateurs in contention, trying to become the first to win the Washington Open since Kent's Josh Immordino won at Canterwood Golf and Country Club in 2006.

Also lurking are Bellevue's Michael Haack (141) in seventh place, and former Mariners pitcher Erik Hanson (143), a member at Sahalee Country Club, alone in eighth.

The lead group will tee off today at 11:30 a.m. off the 10th tee.

PGA TOUR's Byron Nelson Championship

Site: Irving, Texas.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas (7,166 yards, par 70).

Purse: $6.5 million. Winner’s share: $1,152,000.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10-11:30 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Australia’s Adam Scott won the last of six PGA Tour titles, topping Puyallup's Ryan Moore with a 48-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff.

Last week: Zach Johnson successfully defended his Texas Open title, beating James Driscoll in San Antonio with a 10-foot birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Johnson, the FedEx Cup points leader, also won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Notes: Phil Mickelson, the 1996 winner, is coming off a 55th-place tie in The Players Championship. He won this year at Riviera and Doral. … Scott has dropped from third to 32 in the world ranking in the last year. … Scott Verplank won his hometown event in 2007. … Nelson died in September 2006 at 94. He won a record 11 consecutive events in 1945. … England’s Ian Poulter is skipping the European tour’s Wentworth stop to play in the event. … Moore and Tacoma's Troy Kelly are in the field. … The Colonial is next week in Fort Worth, followed by the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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