Vijay Singh's one shot lead at the 86th PGA Championship may be the slimmest of margins but it is a comfortable position for him.
The 41-year-old Fijian-Indian has closed the deal the last seven times he has been the leader or co-leader through 54 holes of a PGA tournament.
"I feel comfortable with my lead," said Singh, who shot 69 on Saturday. "The way I feel is that when I have the lead, the other guy has to play one shot better to catch me.
"When I am leading a golf tournament and I lose the lead I just refocus and play. I keep telling myself, `it's an 18-hole event.'"
Singh, a four-time winner this year and the tour's leading money earner, is seeking his third major championship.
Justin Leonard, who finished second at this event in 1997, shot 70 and is second at 11-under 205.
South Africa's Ernie Els shot 72 and is tied for third with four others at eight-under 208. Els is four strokes adrift of Singh.
Reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson (67), Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke (72), Canada's Stephen Ames (69) and Chris Riley, of the US, are also in third.
Tiger Woods shot 69, but he has some ground to make up as he is tied for 25th with nine others at three-under 213.
Woods was in danger of missing a 36-hole cut for the first time in over six years on Friday. Playing Whistling Straits difficult finishing holes, he posted three birdies over his final six holes to make his 129th cut in a row.
Singh and Els could take a huge step towards the Player-of-the-Year award if either wins. Singh, who won the PGA in 1998, is one of 12 previous champions competing in this year's tournament.
Singh switched from a belly putter to a shorter conventional putter a couple of weeks ago and the results have been spectacular. He captured his first tournament after making the change, the Buick Open, and his confidence hasn't diminished one bit.
"I am swinging the club well and stroking the putter really good. So I will be excited for tomorrow [today]," Singh said.
Leonard would love to have Singh's closing power. He failed to hold onto a 54-hole PGA lead two years ago, stumbling to a final round 77.
"Vijay is an incredible player," Leonard said. "It's going to be a fun day. I get to go head-to-head with one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world."
Leonard needs to capture the PGA Championship to have a shot at making the US Ryder Cup team.
Leonard's play has been inconsistent for most of 2004. He went through a period in June where he missed three straight cuts and he has had just one top-10 finish.
Els narrowly missed four birdie putts on the back nine. He made a great up-and-down on the 18th for a bogey.
Els was runner-up at the British Open and the Masters. A win at Whistling Straits would wipe away those disappointments.
RSS