ALOHA, Ore. -- Lonnie Nielsen retired from the PGA TOUR in 1983 to become a club professional in upstate New York. Twenty-three years later, he has put himself in position to win his first tournament.

Now on the Champions Tour, Nielsen shares a one-stroke lead with Bobby Wadkins going into Sunday's final round of the JELD-WEN Tradition, the season's final major on Tour.

Nielsen shot a 68 Saturday for an 11-under 205 after the first three rounds on the par-72, 7,150-yard course at the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club west of Portland.

"I always felt that I was a better player than I showed my last time around," he said. "To get a second chance at a career is just unbelievable, especially 20 years later."

Wadkins missed a 6-foot par putt on the 18th to drop a stroke and finish with a 71, and Nielsen made a 5-foot par putt on the final hole to grab a share of the lead.

"If I can get the job done tomorrow, there'll be a lot of club pros thinking `I better take a chance at this -- I know I can beat that Nielsen guy,"' Nielsen said.

The 53-year-old Nielsen never has won on either the Champions or PGA TOUR. He joined the Champions Tour full time in 2004.

Defending champion Loren Roberts had a 68, and will go into the final round at 10 under. Tom Jenkins and Tom Kite had 70s and are three strokes off the lead.

Wadkins has won twice on the Champions Tour this season, including the Senior Players Championship.

Wadkins, who had a three-stroke lead to start the day, was challenged by Jenkins, who made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 15th to pull into a share of the lead. But Jenkins bogeyed the final two holes.

"The difference between today and the first two days was I just didn't make the putts," Wadkins said. "It just looked like everything I had was 15 feet and downhill.

"Everything I did today was short with the putter, so we're going to go work on that."

Nielsen, a former club pro at Crag Burn Golf Club in East Aurora, N.Y., was bogey-free Saturday.

Lonnie Nielsen carded a 4-under 68 Saturday to push him into a tie with Bobby Wadkins (WireImage)

"For some reason I do (feel comfortable)," Nielsen said. "I think it's because I know what I'm doing with my golf swing."

Fuzzy Zoeller had the shot of the day, an eagle from 188 yards out on the par-4 No. 13. Jay Haas finished his round with four birdies and an eagle for a 66 - putting him at 5-under overall.

After his round, Roberts -- nicknamed "The Boss of the Moss" -- was asked to sign a baby's T-shirt. He laughed that it was the first time he'd been asked to sign a baby.

"I like my position," Roberts said. "It doesn't really matter whether I'm in the last group or the second-to-last group."

Roberts won the Senior British Open last month at Turnberry for his fourth victory of the year. He has five wins in 21 career senior starts -- including last year's JELD-WEN Tradition title, when he topped Dana Quigley with a bogey on the second hole of a playoff.

Last week, Kite won in Seattle for his ninth Champions Tour victory, beating Keith Fergus with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

Temperatures were in the low 90s Saturday in Aloha. A "funky Portland wind" crept up late in the day and made it difficult the last few holes, Wadkins said.

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