Fiji's Vijay Singh stayed steady on another windy day on the Kapalua Plantation course on Saturday, opening a three-shot lead after three rounds of the US PGA Tour season-opening Mercedes Championship.
Singh carded five birdies with two bogeys to shoot a three-under-par 70. That gave him a 54-hole total of 11-under 208, three shots in front of Australian Adam Scott and South African Trevor Immelman.
Scott warmed up on the back nine en route to a 69 while Immelman, tied for a second a shot behind Singh to start the round, carded a 72. Will MacKenzie (73) and J.B. Holmes (71) of the US were four shots back.
Three-time defending champion Stuart Appleby's quest for a "four-peat" all but disappeared as he carded a 72 to fall nine adrift on 217.
Singh never has won the PGA Tour's season-opening event, but has posted top-10 finishes in his past seven starts.
Singh said his knowledge of the mountainside course helped a lot on Saturday.
"I just scrambled a lot," he said. "I knew where the grain was on the green. You remember the breaks, how quick they are, and that's all helpful at the end of the day."
Scott surged into contention with five birdies in the last seven holes.
"It was frustrating early because it felt like all my good shots came up short or ended up in a bunker just off the green," Scott said. "But not too much damage and then I just got hot coming in."
Scott, ranked fourth in the world, has a chance to start the new season as he ended the last one: with a victory.
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