WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Bruce Lietzke looked at the crowded leaderboard at the Allianz Championship and knew what was in store for Sunday's final round.
"It's kind of like an old-fashioned shootout," said Lietzke, who was one stroke behind leader Don Pooley. "This is a talent-rich field and a lot of that talent has risen to the top."
Pooley shot a 4-under-par 67 on Saturday to take the lead from Lietzke, who stumbled with bogeys on his final two holes. But Lietzke isn't the only worry for the leader.
Six challengers were within two strokes of Pooley, who topped the field at 9-under 133 and seems to have recovered nicely from his Jan. 3 surgery for a torn ligament in his left shoulder.
"Am I comfortable? I don't know," Pooley said. "There are too many players who have won too many tournaments right behind me. I love being in the lead, but I wish I was ahead by 10 instead of by one."
The contenders include some of the biggest names on the Champions Tour.
Lietzke, the only two-time winner on the tour this year, wound up at 8 under after a 69. Bruce Fleisher and 2001 winner Jim Thorpe also were 8 under, Fleisher shooting a 64 for the best score of the day and Thorpe posting his second straight 67.
Morris Hatalsky (67) and Allen Doyle (68) were 7 under and in position to make a move. Defending champion Bob Gilder and Tom Kite were 6 under after each shot a 69.
And then there's Rick Rhoden, the former major league pitcher who has been a big winner on the celebrity tour. Rhoden had seven birdies for the second straight day in shooting a 66 that left him 7 under.
"I try not to look at it like who I'm playing against," Rhoden said. "I'm just trying to play the best I can play. If I shoot a good score, it doesn't matter if Hale Irwin and Allen Doyle and Bruce Lietzke and all these guys are in the field. If it's a good score, it's a good score no matter where you're at."
Pooley was strong with his irons to the green and only one of his five birdie putts was from more than 10 feet. He went to 10 under after sinking a 6-footer on 11 but bogeyed 13 after hitting his second shot into a bunker.
"It made it harder with the way the wind was today," Pooley said. "But the course is in great shape. If you hit good golf shots, you'll have putts you can make."
Lietzke was alone in first at 10 under after a 12-foot birdie putt on 16. But he bogeyed 17 when his approach shot landed short of the green and he flew his approach on 18 left of the green for another bogey.
"A finish like that on Sunday can ruin your day," Lietzke said. "Saturday, it's not too big of a deal if you've kept yourself in there."
Fleisher missed tying the tournament record of 63 by 2 inches -- the distance his birdie putt stopped short of the hole on 18. With his tap-in, Fleisher matched his second-best round of the year.
"I haven't played with a lot of confidence of late, so we tried to go out there with a different attitude today," Fleisher said. "Put less pressure on myself, not be so concerned about what other people think and try to bring some fun back into this game for me."
Mission accomplished.
"I had a lot of fun out there," he said with a smile.
The fans should be the ones have the fun Sunday.
"I like it when it's tough," said Thorpe, who beat Gilder by one stroke to win the Long Island Classic last weekend. "I'd like to come down to 18 one shot ahead or tied for the lead and test the nerves."
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