Justin Rose shot a six-under 66 to move to 18 under par and take a two-stroke lead after the third round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in California.
Rose moved into position to push for his first US Tour victory with five birdies, an eagle and a bogey at the Arnold Palmer Course at PGA West - one of four courses used in the pro-am tournament. The tournament, unusually, consists of five rounds , the first four of which feature celebrities and amateurs playing alongside the professionals, who then compete exclusively among themselves for the championship on the final day
Scott Verplank, who shared the second-round lead with Rose, shot a 68 and was 16 under after a round that contained five birdies and a bogey. Three players - Lucas Glover, John Rollins and first-round leader Robert Allenby - were tied for third, five shots behind Rose.
Bernhard Langer had the best round of the day, a nine-under 63 at Bermuda Dunes, and jumped from a tie for 89th to tied for 13th. Langer made two straight eagles, a hole in one on the seventh and an eagle putt. Phil Mickelson shot a three-under 69 to be seven under.
Padraig Harrington insists he will be fully focused on his own game as he looks to secure a first title of 2007 when the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship's final day gets under way today.
Last season's European Tour Order of Merit winner produced a sublime shot on the 18th that took him up to the green before making the putt for a birdie. That moved him to the top of the leaderboard with a four-under-par 68 for a 13-under 203 overall. His lead is a slender one, however, with Peter Hanson, who carded the best round of the day with a six-under 66, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Shiv Kapur all one shot behind.
Paul Casey enjoyed his best round of the tournament so far to move on to 10 under par overall and back into contention. The 29-year-old carded a faultless round that included five birdies for a five-under-par 67
