Golf Roundup | Woods fires 66, ties for lead

ORLANDO, Fla. — Arnold Palmer was walking into the locker room Saturday morning at Bay Hill when he bumped into Tiger Woods, who recently surpassed him on the PGA Tour's career victory list.

"He told me to get off my butt and play a good round," Woods said.

He responded with birdies on the three toughest holes at Bay Hill for a 4-under-par 66 and a five-way tie for the lead. The King must have said something to Mother Nature, too, as blustery conditions that contributed to a series of spectacular crashes late in the afternoon turned the Arnold Palmer Invitational into quite a show.

Nine players had at least a share of the lead at one point in the third round.

When the zany, windy and splash-filled afternoon finally ended, Woods was in a familiar position as he tries to extend a winning streak that spans seven months and keep alive the ridiculed notion of a perfect season.

Woods will be in the final pairing today with Sean O'Hair, who won last week at Innisbrook and gave himself a chance for another victory at Bay Hill with a 63, a round he finished before the leaders even teed off.

They were at 6-under 204, joined by Bart Bryant (68), Bubba Watson (68) and Vijay Singh, whose 73 made this all possible.

Singh had a two-shot lead and showed no signs of a struggle until dropping five shots in a four-hole stretch in his front nine of 40. He hit three balls into the water, but chipped in from 30 feet for par on the last miscue to stay in the hunt.

It was the largest log jam in the 30-year history at Bay Hill, and the largest on the PGA Tour since a five-way tie for the lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2005.

Woods never looked to be part of it until two spectacular shots in the toughest conditions.

He carved a 4-iron around the trees to 2 feet on the 15th hole for a birdie, then followed that with a 7-iron that held up against the wind and dropped softly to 3 feet right of the flag.

It was one of only three birdies at the 16th, the scene of so much calamity that followed.

"I've played my way back into the tournament," said Woods, who finished two hours before the round ended and had no idea he would be in the final pairing for the fifth straight time on the PGA Tour.

Woods is 42-3 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

Sixteen players were separated by a mere three shots heading into the final round. One of them was Hunter Mahan, who bogeyed two of his final five holes and still shot 65. He was one shot behind at 205.

Seattle native Fred Couples, who shared the first-round lead, shot a 78 and is at 6-over 216.

Other tournaments

• Lorena Ochoa fought to recover from a rough first round in the MasterCard Classic, shooting a 2-under 70 that left the top-ranked Mexican star 11 strokes behind leader Ji-Young Oh in Huixquilucan, Mexico. Ochoa was coming off an opening 76, her highest score in nearly a year. Oh, a 19-year-old from South Korea in her second season on the LPGA Tour, had five birdies in a bogey-free 67 to top the leaderboard at 9-under 135.

• Brad Bryant shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead in the AT&T Champions Classic in Santa Clarita, Calif., while first-round leader Nick Price's 77 left him six strokes back entering the final day.

• Jeev Milkha Singh of India shot an 8-under 64 to share a four-stroke lead with Graeme McDowell after the third round of the inaugural Ballantine's Championship in Jeju Island, South Korea.