Notes: AT&T Classic, Rd. 3

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Charles Howell III will take a one-shot lead at the AT&T Classic into Sunday's final round.

AT&T CLASSIC, third round: Leaderboard | Groups to watch | XM radio

LEADING AFTER 54 HOLES: Sunday will be the fourth time that Charles Howell III has entered the final round of a PGA TOUR event with the lead. Here's how he's fared the previous three times (you'll notice a pattern):

READY FOR A SHOOTOUT? A dozen players will be within five shots of the lead that Charles Howell III will take into Sunday's final round. Kenny Perry wouldn't even limit it to that number.

"There's 20 guys who probably can win," he said.

However you add it up, it's anybody's tournament. Of course, if Howell shoots another 5-under 67 like he did Saturday, it may not matter. He continues to eat up the par-5s, as he's a cumulative 10 under on those holes alone.

But the wind could play a factor tomorrow. "It'll be a tough day," Howell predicted. "This golf course is tough in the wind." -- (6:13)

PAYBACK: Ryuji Imada led most of the way in last year's AT&T Classic, but lost in the playoff to Zach Johnson when his tee shot on the par-5 18th found the left rough, and his approach shot landed in the water when he tried to reach the green in tee. No wonder he thinks TPC Sugarloaf owes him one.

Well, Imada's getting his payback now. A third-round 66 has him at 10 under going into the final round, in perfect striking distance to secure his first PGA TOUR win if he can make a move on Sunday and overtake the handful of guys expected to be in front of him on the leaderboard.

While he didn't win the playoff last year, the lesson he learned may prove just as valuable.

"I learned that if I played well, I can win on the PGA TOUR," Imada said. "Up to that point, I really hadn't felt that way. I thought I could do it, but I wasn't really sure." -- (5 p.m.)

BOLLI ROLLING: Justin Bolli posted one of the three low rounds of the day on Friday, and he's continued his hot hand on Saturday.

Bolli, who along with Bubba Watson and Jonathan Byrd carded a 6-under 66 in the second round, has rolled in back-to-back seven-foot birdie putts to move to 10 under for the tournament, just one shot behind Kenny Perry as the final groups head to the back nine.

Bolli -- a resident of Duluth, Ga., home of the AT&T Classic -- finished eight on the Nationwide Tour money list last year, but has not finished better than a tie for 40th (Wachovia Championship) in 11 PGA TOUR starts this year. His best TOUR finish, though, is a tie for 15th at the rain-shortened AT&T Classic here in 2005.-- (3:22 p.m.)

THIRD-ROUND UPDATE: Thanks to an eagle on the par-5 4th, Kenny Perry has jumped into the lead at 12 under. He leads a pack of three players at 10 under -- Ryan Palmer, Charles Howell II and Camilo Villegas, who made the turn in 33. Second-round leader Jonathan Byrd is struggling Saturday, with three bogeys in his first eight holes. He's the only player over par among the top 15 on the leaderboard. -- (3:08 p.m)

THREESOMES ON SUNDAY: In hopes of avoiding the potential of bad weather Sunday afternoon, tournament officials have changed the original plans for the final round. The players will now play threesomes and tee off on both the first and 10th tees starting at 8:15 a.m. ET.

The players are in twosomes for Saturday's third round. -- (2:52 p.m.)

DAN THE MAN: Impressive 4-under 68 carded by Dan Forsman, who will turn 50 years old on July 15 and become eligible for the Champions Tour.

Forman had only played 11 rounds on TOUR this year coming into the AT&T Classic, but he made the cut by shooting 72-70 on the first two days, and then continued his improvement with the 4-under round that included a string of four consecutive birdies to end his round.

Forsman nearly holed his approach shot on the par-4 15th and then sank birdie putts of eight and 15 feet on the next two holes before finishing with a birdie on the par-5 18th. -- (2:50 p.m.)

GOING LOW: Omar Uresti just came in with the low round of the tournament, a 7-under 65 that moved him to 8-under for the tournament. One group earlier, James Driscoll carded a 6-under 66.

But while both players moved up the leaderboard, neither one expects to be among the last groups to tee off in Sunday's final round. Both Uresti and Driscoll think the second-round leaders will take full advantage of great scoring conditions this afternoon.

"The scores are going to be low today," Uresti said. "The winds are hardly blowing and the pins are fairly accessible. I'm just happy I could put together my round."

Added Driscoll: "I was looking at the forecast earlier today and thought the wind would be blowing harder. Low scores are out there. The leaders have 36 holes left; I only have 18. The more holes you have left, the better position you're in." -- (1:32 p.m.)

ABOUT THAT 65: Uresti said the key to his round -- which ties for his low round of the year (he shot a 65 in the opening round at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January -- was his iron play. That includes the 9-iron he used to hole out from 134 yards on the par-4 12th for eagle, the key shot of his round.

"I've been hitting my driver good and I've been chipping and putting really well," Uresti said. "All I needed to do was get my irons working and hit a few more greens."

That he did. Uresti showed dramatic improvement in greens hit in regulation on Saturday. Here's how he has performed in that category this week:

DO SECOND-ROUND LEADERS WIN? The percentages aren't great. Since the AT&T Classic moved to TPC Sugarloaf in 1997, just three times in those first 11 years has the second-round leader or co-leader gone on to win the tournament. But it has happened twice in the past four years. Jonathan Byrd, who has only held the outright second-round lead just one other time in his career, takes a three-lead going into Saturday.

-- (Noon)

GEORGIA VS. GEORGIA TECH: Yesterday, we told you that the pros with Georgia Tech ties had the first-round advantage over the guys from Georgia. Here's how they fared after two days:

By the way, no doubt the pairing of Cink and Bolli this afternoon will be of extreme interest among the golf fans in attendance. -- (11:45 a.m.)

BYRD'S IMPROVEMENT: Interesting note from our friends at ShotLink ...

Through two rounds, tournament leader Jonathan Byrd has accumulated 15 birdies. His personal best through four rounds this year was 19 at the FBR Open. He is not only on pace to break his record for the year, but shatter it. Also, Byrd has been playing some of his best golf of the year.

The chart below shows his drastic improvements during the first two rounds at TPC Sugarloaf compared to his season thus far. He has bettered his scoring average on all par values.

-- (11:39 a.m.)

WEATHER UPDATE: Three words - Couldn't. Be. Better. Not a cloud in the sky over TPC Sugarloaf, which means the course will start to dry out. How will that affect the soft greens that the players have been able to thrown darts at during the first two rounds? It could make them less receptive to approach shots, but low scores may still be out there. John Huston is 5 under on his round and Jim McGovern is 4 under. Both started the day at even par. As second-round leader Jonathan Byrd indicated Friday, you'll have to go low to win this tournament. -- (11:15 a.m.)