Daniel Chopra shot a four under 68 to grab a two-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the Buick Open.

Chopra drained a 15-foot birdie on the final hole to cap his round. At 16-under 200 Chopra leads three players by two strokes.

"Today I was fairly surprised that the scores did not kind of run away," Chopra said.

Chopra played his opening nine holes in two-under and had a one-stroke lead over Dudley Hart.

Chopra then started his back nine with a birdie and then closed it with another while Hart bogeyed 18 to drop into a tie for second.

"I don't know how. I can't explain it," Chopra said. "Maybe the rain overnight softened up the fairways and the course wasn't playing as short and the greens were softer."

Hart, Woody Austin and Bubba Watson are at 14-under 202.

Chopra started the season with a win at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship. He outlasted Steve Stricker in a playoff to get his season off to a strong start but has not had a sniff at another win this season.

His best finish came the week after his win, a tie for 32nd at the Sony Open. Now the Swede is in line for his third PGA Tour title.

"The bigger the lead you've got, the better. That's what I'm going to do out there tomorrow is practice patience all day long," he said.

Hart is also looking for his third tour win and first since the 2000 Honda Classic. His best finish this season came in February when he was third at the AT and T Pro-Am.

After a 70 on Saturday, his worst round of the tournament, Hart was not willing to venture a guess on a winning score.

But he did look forward to setting up more birdie opportunities after making four in the third round with two bogeys.

"It depends on weather; depends on wind. I'm not going to really worry about a number," Hart said. "I'm just going to try to follow the shots, and I feel like my putter is working pretty well for the most part. And if I can get myself some more opportunities, I feel confident that I can make some.

AFP

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