Choi leads, Els looms in Chrysler

K.J. Choi made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to finish the third round of the Chrysler Championship the same way he started, with a one-shot lead over Ernie Els and two others.

But it sure felt like a lifetime of work to keep it that way.

In a blustery round in which six players had at least a share of the lead, Choi overcame a few hiccups on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla., for a 1-under 70 that left him one shot clear of Els (70), Brian Gay (70) and resurgent Paul Goydos (69), who was No. 160 on the money list and now has a chance to avoid qualifying school.

Els is in good shape to collect his first victory of the year after recovering from a bad start with birdies on the par 5s on the back nine.

This is the final full-event of the year.

Champions Tour

Jim Thorpe stayed steady while the other contenders lurched up and down the leaderboard, finishing the third round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Calif., with a two-stroke lead over Jay Haas, Tom Kite and Loren Roberts.

Dubai Ladies Masters

Annika Sorenstam shot her second straight 4-under 68 to increase her lead to seven strokes after the third round of the European Ladies Tour's season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters.

The top-ranked Swede had a 15-under 201 total on the Emirates Golf Club's Majlis Course. Australia's Karrie Webb was second after a 70, and European Solheim Cup captain Helen Alfredsson of Sweden was 7 under after a 68.

--The Associated Press