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Hoch tops crowded leaderboard

Scott Hoch birdied the 16th hole Saturday to grab the lead at 13-under-par 203 after 54 holes of the Greater Greensboro Classic at Forest Oaks Country Club. Hoch, who posted a third-round 67, leads Jerry Kelly, David Berganio and second-round leader Mike Sposa by one shot.

Hoch rolled a 12-foot birdie putt into the left side of the cup at 16 to break out of a four-way tie at 12-under. He had a chance to extend his advantage but missed a 20-footer for birdie at 17, then saved par at the home hole after his approach sailed over the green.

Kelly, three shots back at the start of the day, made five birdies over the first 16 holes Saturday before suffering his only bogey at 17 to fall back to 11-under. But he earned a place in Sunday's final group with a chip-in birdie at 18 for a 67.

"If I am patient and play my game, you know, I will have those birdies," said Kelly, who was paired with Tiger Woods in the final round of The Players Championship in March and finished fourth.

"I think [The Players Championship] helped me, no question. It let me know that I can hit quality golf shots under pressure for an entire tournament, which I probably hadn't done up until that point."

After carding all pars on the front nine, Berganio birdied the 10th, 11th and 13th to climb into the mix at 11-under. He then grabbed what was at the time the lead with a spinning approach to within two feet at 16. Berganio finished with a 68, his second straight bogey-free round of the tournament.

Sposa, the overnight leader at 10-under, made it to 13-under when his second shot to the par-four seventh spun off the right fringe and up to the pin to set up a his third birdie. Although he managed to negate a bogey at the eighth with a birdie at 12, Sposa dropped another shot at 14 and parred out for a two-under 70.

A total of 28 players are within five shots of the lead on a jammed leaderboard. Four of the top six players are looking for their first victory.

"Even the guys at the top have to shoot low tomorrow. I mean, just look at how they're bunched. If you had high rough it would be a little different," said the straight-driving Hoch, who was critical of the course set-up earlier in the week.

"The conditions are out there," he added. "I could play well and still lose. I just have to go out there and try not to make any mental mistakes and take advantage of my good shots."

Hoch has held or shared the 54-hole lead 13 times in his career and has gone on to win five times. The last of his eight PGA Tour victories came in 1997 when he captured his second Greater Milwaukee Open title. His best finish in Greensboro was fourth in 1988.

Hoch, 45, birdied five of the first 10 holes but bogeyed the 12th and 14th after missing short par putts.

Japan's Kaname Yokoo fired a flawless seven-under 65 that included a 45-foot birdie putt at the first and a chip-in from 25 feet at the 15th. He stands tied for fifth at 11-under 205 with Scott Simpson, who battled back from an up-and-down start Saturday with three birdies over the last six holes for a 70.

Kevin Sutherland's 65 matched Yokoo for best round of the day. He shares seventh place at 10-under par with Gabriel Hjertstedt, Rich Beem, Jeff Maggert and Brett Quigley, who captured the Buy.com Tour's Arkansas Classic last week.

Defending champion Hal Sutton shot 68 -- his best round of this year's event -- and is currently six shots off the pace at minus-seven.

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