PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Kevin Na didn't feel comfortable about anything Saturday except his name atop the leaderboard at The Players Championship.
Na rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for one of only three rounds without a bogey on a tough day at the TPC Sawgrass. It gave him a 4-under 68 and a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar as he goes after the richest prize on the PGA Tour - a five-year exemption and a spot in all the majors.
For all his practice swings and waggles, even purposely missing the ball so he could start over, Na pieced together a brilliant round free of bogeys. He finished with two birdies on the last three holes to build a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar, who hit into the water at the island-green 17th and had to settle for a 69.
Na was at 12-under 204.
Rickie Fowler, coming off his first PGA Tour win last week at Quail Hollow, was dynamic as ever as he shot up the leaderboard. Fowler didn't make a bogey until the last hole but still had the best score of the third round with a 66 and was two shots behind. He is trying to become the first player since David Duval in 1997 to win his first two PGA Tour titles in consecutive weeks.
Texas Open champion Ben Curtis also played bogey-free. He just didn't have as many birdies, missing from inside 10 feet on his last two holes for a 70. He was five shots behind, along with Zach Johnson (73).
Tiger Woods never came close to getting into contention, though he gave himself plenty of chances. The card shows two birdies, two bogeys and a 72 that left him 10 shots out of the lead going into the final round.
MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN
SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands (AP) - Spain's Carlos Del Moral set a European Tour record with only 20 putts in a 9-under 63 that gave him a three-stroke lead in the Madeira Islands Open.
Del Moral birdied his last three holes to reach 17 under. He one-putted the final nine greens.
Swedish rookie Joakim Lagergren was second after a 70.