PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. --- If Rory Sabbatini can continue to handle the howling wind and putt like a wizard at the Honda Classic, he'll be making travel arrangements for a Masters Tournament trip.
Sabbatini carries a five-shot lead into today's final round at PGA National Resort and Spa's Champions Course. If he can hold on for the victory, he will qualify for a seventh consecutive Masters appearance.
"Definitely, I'd love to get the Masters," said Sabbatini, who was the runner-up to Zach Johnson in the 2007 Masters.
"But at the same time it's not the end of the world, so I better remain focused on what I'm doing and try to get the job done," he said.
For the second consecutive day, Sabbatini had the low round of the day -- 4-under-par 66 on Saturday after Friday's course-record tying 64 -- bringing him to 9-under 201 through 54 holes. He opened with 71.
Sabbatini has mainly done it on the greens -- he's leading the field with an average of just 25.67 putts per round with a TaylorMade Ghost putter that he put in his bag for the first time this week.
Y.E. Yang, the 2009 Honda champion, and Jerry Kelly are tied for second place at 206. Yang had 67 on Saturday and Kelly 68. They will make up today's final group.
"Him talking it up doesn't bother me because I tend to do the same thing," Kelly said, referring to Sabbatini. "Y.E., he'll probably just go about his business and listen to us a little bit and have a laugh."
Sabbatini, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, has won four of the 10 times he had at least a share of the 54-hole lead.
The five-shot lead isn't as substantial as it would be on an easier course, or one without the kind of wind the players have fought this week.
Five shots "is catchable in three holes out here -- you never know which three holes it will be," said Kelly, who has already qualified for the Masters, as has Yang, the 2009 PGA Championship winner.
"It's a tough golf course and I can't be complacent out there, because if you lose focus for a second, it can take shots away in a hurry," Sabbatini said.
"I can't expect the field to give the tournament to me, because that's not going to happen," he added. "There are going to be guys that are going to come forward and challenge and I've got to be ready to step up to that challenge and continue to make it tough on them."
On a day when the wind gusted to 30 mph and the scoring average on the par-70 course was 72.558, Augusta native Charles Howell turned in 67, which tied for the second-lowest round of the day.
Howell, at 1-under for the tournament, is eight shots off Sabbatini's lead. Evans resident Vaughn Taylor had 72 and is 8-over for the tournament.
Howell, who opened with a pair of 71s, jumped from a tie for 29th place after two rounds to a tie for sixth. He had four birdies against one bogey on Saturday.
"I'm not sure really," Howell said, when asked how he shot the 67. "This place is hard and it's really hard in this wind. It's like a major without the rough."
Howell needs a victory in the run-up to the Masters to qualify to play at Augusta National,
"I'll still play smart, but aggressive," Howell said of his final-round strategy. "I won't go out there and try to do something stupid, A lot of guys are trying to qualify for the Masters."
At least the wind is supposed to howl for a fourth consecutive day, Howell said.
"I'd rather see it stay windy because par is a good score and birdies can really move you up," he said.
"It's going to be a heckuva finish."
In Bogota, Colombia, Brenden Pappas birdied three of his final four holes on his way to 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead in the rain-delayed Bogota Open.
Matt Every shot 67 and is alone in second.
North Augusta's Scott Brown is 2 under, and will complete his second round this morning.
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