PONTE VEDRE BEACH, Fla., March 23 (UPI) -- Unheralded Carl Paulson kept his poise Saturday while some of the more familiar names in golf were faltering.
Paulson fired his third straight 69 over the treacherous TPC-Sawgrass Stadium Course, putting him one shot in front of another unlikely challenger with one round remaining at the Players Championship.
The final pairing in Sunday's closing round of the $6 million tournament will feature Paulson, the 189th-ranked player in the world, and New Zealand's Craig Perks, ranked 203rd.
Strung out behind them, meanwhile, was a group of PGA Tour veterans just waiting for the untested leaders to falter. Included in the group waiting to pounce was Tiger Woods, who despite an inability to get going Saturday still found himself trailing just nine players and only six shots out of the lead.
Paulson, who suffered from viral meningitis earlier this year and who missed the cut in all four of his previous tour appearances, was the only player to break 70 in the first three rounds. He stood at 9-under 207 for 54 holes with Perks at 208 after also shooting a 69.
"Probably most people are surprised, but the people that I work with, my coach and my family, are probably not going to be as surprised as most everybody else," said Paulson, 31. "Given that it's such a big tournament and I am not a so-called household name in professional golf, there's going to be a lot of people that are surprised.
"In my mind, I know I am going to win golf tournaments out there, it's just a matter of putting my thoughts together and executing the shots until I win one. And, no, I am not worried about anyone else. Somebody else could come out and shoot 64 tomorrow and take the championship. That's totally out of my control."
Tied for third at 210 were Rocco Mediate, who shot a 69 as well that included a bogey at the final hole, and Jeff Sluman, who fought back from a double bogey at the fifth to fire an even-par 72.
At 211 were Canadian Mike Weir and current PGA champion David Toms while Scott Hoch, Billy Andrade and Mark Calcavecchia were all at 212. Woods was joined at 3-under 213 by Steve Lowery, Shigeki Maruyama, Sergio Garcia and 44-year-old Nick Faldo.
The TPC-Sawgrass course is famed for its ability to turn good rounds into disasters and there were some classic examples of that Saturday.
Craig Stadler, at age 49, found himself one shot out of the lead on the back nine Saturday after birdies at the 11th and 12th holes followed by an ace at the par-3 13th. He also birdied the 15th to get to 7-under for the tournament, but he finished bogey, double bogey, triple bogey.
He ended the day eight shots off the pace.
"It was fun for a while," said Stadler, who shot a 72 when pars on the last three holes would have given him a 66. "I made a bad swing at the 17th (with his ball going in the water at the famed, par-3 island hole) and that stunk up a good round."
Phil Mickelson also fell victim to the Stadium Course. He began the third round one shot off the lead and was only two back after making the turn. But he made a quadruple bogey eight at the 10th hole and eventually shot a 75 for a 214 total.
Paulson got his round going with an eagle putt at the par-5 second hole and he made seven straight pars before suffering his only bogey of the day at the 10th. He then rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt at the 12th, birdied the 14th as well and holed a 30-footer to save par at No. 15.
He has yet to win on the PGA Tour and no player has ever made the Players Championship their first victory on the circuit.
"There were a couple of times when I got a little nervous, but I handled the pressure and executed the shots pretty much like I was trying to," Paulson said.
Perks, too, is looking for his first triumph. He spent most of the day either tied for the lead or one shot behind, the only real blemish coming when he three-putted from five feet at the par-3 eighth.
Perks moved into a tie for the lead with a 45-foot birdie putt at the 17th, but he drove into the rough at the 18th and eventually had to settle for a bogey.
"I will just try to think in the present tomorrow," Perks said. "I won't try to get ahead of myself. I know I will be nervous, playing in the last group of such a prestigeous tournament. But I will do my best and we will see what happens."
A victory by Paulson or Perks would be a massive turning point in their career. In addition to the $1 million top prize, they would earn a 10-year exemption on the Tour and would qualify to participate in all the major championships -- including next month's Masters.
