La Quinta — Tom Pernice Jr. had a solid round by almost all measures Saturday at the SilverRock Resort.

The Murrieta resident hit all but one green. He missed all but two fairways.

Such play might launch him into contention at the U.S. Open. But that's not enough with players feasting on birdies this week. Only one statistic matters.

Putting.

“Just the last two days, and the last nine holes, I haven't putted very well,” Pernice said, “and it's kept me back a little bit if you will.”

Pernice led early in the third round, but after shooting a 69 on Saturday, he is tied for 12th, 10 shots behind leader Steve Stricker.

Entering the fourth round, Pernice ranked second in putts per round. After taking 33 strokes on the green Saturday, he is now tied for 20th in that statistic.

Stricker and Pat Perez, who trails the leader by three shots, haven't distanced themselves from the field with their play from tee to green. Neither is in the top 10 in driving accuracy or the top 5 in greens in regulation. But Stricker is No. 1 in putts per round, followed by Perez.

“I hit some mediocre shots,” Perez said, “but my putter has been saving me.”

Pernice opened his fourth round at SilverRock with four birdies on the back nine, but then his putter cooled off.

“I didn't make any putts on the last nine holes, really,” he said. “I had good chances.”

Pernice bogeyed the fourth by taking three putts and missed three birdie chances from within 12 feet on the closing nine.

The 49-year-old has blossomed late, while his former UCLA teammates — Corey Pavin, Steve Pate and Duffy Waldorf — saw their careers peak earlier.

He has won twice (the 1999 Buick Open and the 2001 International), but his best overall year was in 2006, when he finished 25th on the money list with almost $2.4 million.

He will look to climb the leader board today by regaining his putting stroke.

“We still play 18 holes (today),” Pernice said, “so if I putt good all 18 holes and stay focused, you never know.”