Lucas Glover overcame a five-stroke deficit to join Justin Rose at the top of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic leader board, shooting a 7-under 65 in the fourth round of the 90-hole tournament on Saturday.
Glover matched Rose at 20 under, sticking his irons close to the pin on most greens at LaQuinta and making a couple of 8m putts on others.
Rose, of England, shot a 70 at The Classic Club, the site of the final round.
That followed a third round when he had taken a two-shot lead with a 66 in cold, windy weather.
"I kept my nose in and around the lead, so obviously that's a good thing going into tomorrow," Rose said.
"I guess what's gone on before is history and we've got to look forward to tomorrow," he said.
Frost delay
Although the it turned out to be sunny and relatively warm, the start of play on Saturday was delayed a half-hour by frost on three of the four courses.
The overnight low was 1oC, but conditions were nearly ideal later in the day with temperatures in the high teens and very little wind.
"I walked outside of the room this morning and the sun was already out, so I knew it wasn't going to be like yesterday," Glover said. "It was perfect. And the greens here, man, they are lightning right now. Some of the best we play all year."
Glover is shooting for his second US PGA Tour victory. He won the Funai Classic in 2005.
Rose is looking for his first on the tour, with his highest finish so far a tie for second last year in the Texas Open.
Glover, however, noted that Rose is coming off a win in the Australian Masters.
"Sure, the last event I played, I won, other than this one," Rose said.
John Rollins was two shots back after a 67, and Jeff Quinney (66) and Charley Hoffman (68) were tied for fourth at 16 under.
Phil Mickelson, the champion in 2002 and 2004, had nine birdies on his way to a 66 and a 13-under total. He's making his first start of the year.
"Not only have I been driving it much better and hitting the fairways, I've been able to hit more variety of shots," Mickelson said. "When I do miss a fairway, it's been first cut or a couple yards in the rough as opposed to the big misses like I had at 17 and 18 at the US Open."
Four pars in a row
After beginning with a bogey, Glover birdied the next hole, had four pars in a row, then seemed to get his round rolling when he made a 8m putt for birdie.
He began play on the back nine at La Quinta, made the turn at 34 then had five birdies on his way to a 31 on the front, including another 8m putt for birdie on No. 4.
La Quinta was one of four courses used for the first four days, a pro-am. The field was reduced to the low 70 scoring pros and ties for the final round at The Classic Club.
Rose experienced some putting problems. He three-putted for bogey on both the 14th and 16th greens at The Classic Club.
He had another bogey after hitting into the water on the par-4 11th. His up-and-down round included four bogeys and six birdies.
Bernhard Langer, who took a big jump toward the top with a third-round 63 that put him in a tie for 13th, had a 69 to slip back into a group tied for 19th at 13 under.
Defending champion Chad Campbell missed the cut. He had a 72, his fourth round at 70 or above, and was at 2-under 286. Last week's winner in Hawaii, Paul Goydos, was in the final group to make the cut, at 6-under 282. David Duval had a 68 and was at 10 under.
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