LA QUINTA, Calif. Despite a brief lapse late in the day, Fred Funk held onto his narrow lead in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Funk muffed a chip on his 14th hole, then three-putted from just off the green on the 16th today to bogey two of his final five holes. But he still finished the round with a 3-under-par 69 and a one-shot lead.

He was 20-under through four rounds of the five-day tournament, remaining just ahead of Steve Pate, who also had a 69.

Funk, who began the day 17-under, trimmed three more shots off par on his first nine holes and added two birdies shortly after the turn, going to 22-under at the 13th hole.

"I just hit a bad chip (on the 14th), put it on the front edge of the green and left it about 10 feet short and missed it," Funk said. "Then I three-putted from the fringe on the par-3."

The 69 was his highest score of the tournament so far. He stayed in the lead for the third consecutive day.

"I am playing really well although I have made a lot of mistakes this week," Funk said. "To be leading is a little amazing to me. But I have made a lot of birdies (25) and have done a lot of good things."

Although he missed a chance to widen his lead, Funk said the final round is going to be "just a shootout."

"I can still win the tournament, which is the good news," he added.

Pate, who owns six tour titles but has won just once in the past seven years, was one shot in front of John Huston and Skip Kendall.

Pate said he wasn't particularly on his game.

"I didn't hit it very well and didn't make any putts," he said. "All in all, it (his score) was about as good as I could have gotten out of it."

Defending champion Fred Couples, who had recorded six consecutive top 10 finishes in the Hope, didn't even make the cut this time. Couples had cards of 72-75-72-71 for a 290, missing the cut by six shots.

Huston, in a three-way tie at the top after the opening round before slipping back the next two days, moved back into contention with a 63.

Huston said he hopes to get off to a good start in the final round and "let everything else take care of itself."

"I think you've got to play pretty aggressive, but you have to be patient, too," he said. "There is some disaster lurking out there, but also, with five par 5s, you can make up a lot of ground quickly."

Kendall was tied for third with Huston after a fourth-round 64 in the 90-hole Hope.

Two players who seemed to be poised to make a run at the lead -- John Daly and David Duval -- instead fell farther back.

Daly, who played extremely well the first three days and was two shots back of Funk beginning the round, had to settle for a 73 that dropped him six shots off the pace. Duval, who had moved into contention with a 64 a day earlier, had a 70 and was seven shots out of the lead.

The tournament traditionally produces low scores, so even those players a half-dozen or so shots behind still have a good chance if the frontrunners stumble. The Hope features a pro-am played on four courses the first four days, with only the pros playing the final round at the host course, PGA West this year.

DIVOTS: The largest gallery of the day wasn't following the leader, but instead was tailing Michael Jordan. Jordan, Charles Barkley and former NFL receiver Roy Green were the amateurs teamed with pro Peter Jacobsen. Jordan, listed as a 10-handicapper, hit the ball long during the four-day pro-am, sometimes outdriving the pro in his group, and also sank some lengthy putts. Barkley, with a 14-handicap, mostly sprayed shots, with Jordan kidding his longtime pal incessantly. No individual scores are kept for the amateurs. ... Jordan also picked a favourite to win the NBA title this year, Indiana. "But the good thing is that it's wide open," he said. "And the other good thing is that I don't have to worry about it."