PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Vijay Singh's most recent of 34 career victories on the PGA Tour was in 2008. His only win at The Honda Classic was in 1999 - on a course that he couldn't remember. And he arrived at PGA National a few days ago wondering if his game was still good enough for him to be competitive with the younger generation.
So far, he's got to like what he's seeing. Today he'll have a shot at making history.
Singh - who turned 56 on Feb. 22 - has a chance to become the oldest winner ever on the PGA Tour. His 5-under-par 65 on Saturday at the Honda Classic put him at 6-under 204 for the tournament, one shot behind leader Wyndham Clark, who had a 67 in the third round on the Champions Course.
They'll be in the final pairing today. Singh has been a pro longer than the 25-year-old Clark has been alive.
"It would be great," Singh said when asked what a win would mean at his age. "I've worked pretty hard. I'm physically quite capable of doing it. Mentally, I'm going to go out there and see how my mind works. If I just don't let anything interfere, I think I can do it."
Former Baylor School and University of Georgia standout Keith Mitchell (70) and South Korea's Kyeong-Hoon Lee (68) were tied with Singh. Mitchell, who shared the 36-hole lead with South Korea's Sungjae Im, had two birdies but as many bogeys on Saturday but is still in contention for his first PGA Tour win.
Im is not. He stumbled badly in the third round, making five bogeys and a double on his way to a 77 that dropped him into a tie for 51st at 1 over.
Singh, meanwhile, moved up 30 spots by making just one bogey against six birdies.
Seven golfers have won on the PGA Tour after turning 50, with Sam Snead the oldest at 52 years, 10 months, 8 days in the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open. Singh will be eight days removed from his 56th birthday when he tees off today.
"He's been one of the game's best," said Rickie Fowler, who was alone in fifth at 5 under after shooting a 66. "He's a ball-striker. He's not as long as he used to be, but on this golf course you don't necessarily have to be long. It's about getting the ball in the fairway and hitting your lines and hitting numbers. You don't necessarily have to go out and do anything special."
Just the same, Clark started in sizzling fashion, opening with five birdies in his first seven holes before giving a bit back as the wind started to pick up. Forecasters said the breezes will only get stronger, and that means the final round could be wild - especially with 28 players within five shots of the lead.
Clark's run of 122 consecutive holes without a three-putt ended at the par-3 15th, the start of the three-hole "Bear Trap" stretch. But he made enough good shots to end the day alone on top.
"I felt like I managed where I hit the ball," Clark said. "I put it in good spots. As long as I keep giving myself chances to make putts, I think I can win."
Six golfers were tied for sixth at 4 under: Ryan Armour (70), Roberto Castro (69), Brooks Koepka (70), Adam Schenk (68), Michael Thompson (66) and first-round leader Jhonattan Vegas (69).
Harris English, like Mitchell a former Red Raider and Bulldog, was tied for 29th at 1 under after a 68.
Chattanooga's Stephan Jaeger, who played at Baylor and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, shot a 76 and was 6 over. With the field cut to the low 70 and ties for the final round, he will not finish.
Barring disaster, Singh will - and perhaps in historic fashion.
The first time Singh played the Honda Classic was 1994. Clark, who was three shots clear of the field at one point Saturday, was about 2 months old at the time. When Singh got to PGA National early in the week, the first thing he did was set out for a five-hour practice session - one of the many trademarks of his career.
The three-time major champion is using a longer putter, something he said PGA Tour Champions power Bernhard Langer talked him into trying. Even though there's more than a few gray hairs wisping out from beneath his visor, Singh is still in excellent shape and said there's no tension or pain in his body.
"It's work, determination, believing in what I believe in," said Singh, who survived a super windy Sunday to win the 1999 Honda Classic at TPC at Heron Bay in Coral Springs by two shots over Payne Stewart.
"I just feel like if I play like I did today when you aim at a target and swing the way you're supposed to and the ball comes out, that's the best feeling in the world."
Gibby Gilbert III in top 10
TUCSON, Ariz. - Mark O'Meara shot a 3-under 70 in breezy conditions to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Cologuard Classic, while former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz closed with a double bogey to drop 11 strokes back in his PGA Tour Champions debut.
Chattanooga's Gibby Gilbert III, in his first full season on the 50-and-older tour, was tied for eighth and three shots out of the lead after a 68 that included six birdies and one bogey. He made five of his birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the front nine.
The 62-year-old O'Meara finished with a bogey on the par-4 18th and was at 10-under 136 after 36 holes at Omni Tucson National's Catalina Course. He also bogeyed No. 18 on Friday in a 66 as he matched the tour record with eight straight birdies.
O'Meara earned both of his senior circuit titles in 2010. He won 16 times on the PGA Tour, the last two in 1998 in the Masters and the British Open.
Scott McCarron (70), Kirk Triplett (69) and Willie Wood (71) were a stroke behind O'Meara. First-round leader Kenny Perry had a double bogey on the par-5 17th in a 73 that dropped him into a tie for fifth at 8 under with 2018 tournament champion Steve Stricker (72) and Darren Clarke (68).
Gilbert was tied with Lee Janzen (66) and Brandt Jobe (71).
Smoltz was tied for 56th at 1 over after rounds of 73 and 74. The 51-year-old National Baseball Hall of Famer, who is playing on a sponsor's exemption, made the double bogey on the par-4 ninth.