CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With Tiger Woods unable to defend his Wachovia Championship title following knee surgery, Anthony Kim moved a step away from joining that elite list — a month shy of his 23rd birthday.
The steady, focused and less flamboyant Kim shot a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday to take a four-shot lead over Jason Bohn and Heath Slocum after the third round.
While Kim still sports the signature belt buckle with his initials, the big hitter’s recent focus on his game left him at 13-under and as close as ever to his first PGA Tour win.
Kim passed Bohn, the second-round leader and playing partner, by sinking a 9- foot birdie putt on the ninth hole. Kim added another birdie at No. 14, then navigated through the course’s tough closing stretch with his best golf of the round.
Slocum shot a 68 and will be paired with Stewart Cink today. Cink was tied with Dudley Hart at 8-under.
Creamer atop leaderboard.
Paula Creamer made two long birdie putts to pull away from the field in the SemGroup Championship, only to drop two shots on the closing holes for the third consecutive day to give her challengers a chance in Broken Arrow, Okla.
Lorena Ochoa, going for her record-tying fifth straight LPGA Tour victory, lost momentum with back-to-back bogeys and wound up eight shots behind, needing the best comeback of her career.
“I still think I can win,” Ochoa said.
Creamer was at 3-under-par 210 and will play in the final pairing today with Juli Inkster, at 212 the only other player under par.
Brittany Lang, who tied for second at the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open while still an amateur, shot a 71 to finish at 1-over 214, with Angela Stanford (71).
Price leads Kinko’s Classic.
Nick Price moved a step closer to his first Champions Tour victory, shooting a 5-under-par 67 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the FedEx Kinko’s Classic in Lakeway, Texas.
Scott Simpson and Loren Roberts were tied for second after matching 66s.
Garrido leads Spanish Open.
Ignacio Garrido of Spain shot an even-par 72 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Spanish Open in Seville, Spain.
Garrido bogeyed the par-4 18th, but still led Miguel Angel Jimenez (67).
