Sabbatini takes lead with 65

Rory Sabbatini came to the Mercedes Championships for the first time with high hopes and limited expectations. So much changed in a short period of time today.

Sabbatini holed a sand wedge shot from 96 yards for eagle on No. 16, part of a four-shot swing over two holes as Ernie Els went into a free fall.

As the clouds finally lifted over the coast of Maui, Sabbatini was wearing a lei given to him by a woman in the gallery, and had a two-shot lead over Vijay Singh going into the final round of the winners-only tournament.

Despite missing a great birdie chance on the last hole, the 24-year-old South African had an 8-under-par 65 and was in great position for his second career victory.

Asked if he was amazed to be eight strokes ahead of Tiger Woods, Sabbatini replied, "It's amazing to be ahead of half the field.''

Sabbatini was at 16-under 203, and has played the par 5s in 12-under.

Singh was pleasantly surprised to be in the final group. He was five strokes behind until he birdied the last four holes, wound up with a 67 and was only two off the pace.

"It was one of those days where everything seems to go your way,'' Sabbatini said.

That wasn't the case for Woods.

The defending champion missed eight putts inside 15 feet in a round of 68 and was so frustrated that he jokingly muttered to caddie Steve Williams at one point, "You think I should try crosshanded?"

But the real frustration belonged to Els.

Determined to start his season off on a winning note, Els had the tournament under control until he collapsed on the par 5s on the back nine of the Plantation Course at Kapalua, twice having to take penalty drops because of errant tee shots.

When he missed a 3-foot bogey putt on the final hole, Els had an even-par 73 on a surprisingly calm day in Maui, a day in which none of the 33 players were over par.

"I hit the wrong club on 12 and it unsettled me,'' Els said. "I lost concentration, lost momentum. This was unforgivable.''

With his double bogey on the final hole, Els was at 12-under 207. After taking a four-stroke cushion into the weekend, the Big Easy has his work cut out for him.

But it's not impossible.

Several players went low and put themselves into position to make a run, including David Duval, who matched Sabbatini with a 65 for the low round of the tournament. Duval, the '99 Mercedes champion, was six strokes back.

Jim Furyk had this third straight 4-under 69 and was tied with Els, four strokes back.

The group at 208 included Paul Azinger, who was within two strokes of the lead at one point until hitting into the hazard on No. 15 and taking double bogey. Azinger, in this tournament for the first time in eight years, had a 68 and was tied with Mike Weir, David Toms and Billy Andrade.

Els nearly won the Mercedes a year ago. Instead, he fell victim to a fantastic finish by Woods -- eagle-birdie-birdie -- and lost on the second playoff hole. It looked like this had the potential to be a runaway, especially after Els birdied his last four holes on the front nine to maintain his four-stroke lead.

Just like that, it was gone.

He made his first bogey in 43 holes on the short par-4 12th, missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th, and then lost his lead for the first time in 29 holes on the par-5 15th.

Els blocked his tee shot to the right and had to take a drop, then missed a 6-foot par putt to fall into a tie with Sabbatini.

Even that didn't last long.

As Els sauntered over to the 16th tee, Sabbatini holed the wedge for eagle on No. 16, the ball spinning back slightly with the grain into the cup as he held both hands high. In a span of two holes, Els had gone from a two-shot lead to a two-shot deficit.

"I wasn't trying to hole it,'' Sabbatini said. "I just wanted to get it up there and give myself a chance.''

Duval and Woods played together for the seventh time in their career, and today was only the second round in which Duval had the upper hand. Whether it's enough to catch Sabbatini depends if he has another 65 in his bag.

Barring an incredible comeback -- or a collapse from the front -- Woods probably will have to wait until at least February for his next PGA Tour victory, since he doesn't figure to play again until the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

He certainly had his chances, hitting beautifully shaped shots into the wind for several birdie chances. But he missed four of them from inside 12 feet on the front nine. "That could have been nothing,'' he said, as he stared at his card after nine holes.

He nearly made a hole-in-one on the 164-yard 11th, the ball coming 6 inches short of giving Woods a Mercedes-Benz.

"If it was a Buick, it would have gone in,'' Woods said in reference to his endorsement deal with Buick.

Duval stayed with him stride-for-stride, even outdriving him on a couple of holes. He birdied three in a row on the front nine and missed a couple of birdie putts from about 10 feet that would have inched him closer to the lead.

"I feel like I know how to play this golf course well,'' said Duval, who won at Kapalua in 1999 with a record 26-under total.

Sabbatini is still getting to know the variances in wind, the sharp grain that makes even the short putts difficult, and the slope of the mountainous course at Kapalua.

So far, they're getting along just fine.

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