TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP Singh fires 65, builds three-shot advantage

Vijay Singh sank an 80-foot eagle putt en route to a commanding lead.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Vijay Singh was in familiar territory Saturday.
With an 80-foot eagle putt that left him feeling as if he were in the Twilight Zone, Singh blew away Tiger Woods and the rest of his challengers to build a three-stroke lead in the Tour Championship.
It was the third straight time Singh has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead at East Lake, only this time he has some breathing room.
"It's a lot better than going out with a one-shot lead," Singh said after a 5-under 65 gave him a comfortable margin over Charles Howell III.
No. 15 is factor
Singh can thank No. 15 for that, a par 5 with a green he knows all too well. Clinging to a one-stroke lead over Woods, Singh reached the 495-yard uphill hole with a 5-iron that stopped 80 feet beyond the flag.
He three-putted for par Friday. He made the eagle putt Saturday.
Singh was at 9-under 201 and can only hope his third chance at winning the season-ending Tour Championship is successful.
He had a one-stroke lead in 1998, but wound up losing in a playoff to Hal Sutton. He was tied with Woods two years ago, but Phil Mickelson beat them both.
Howell stayed in hunt
This time the most likely challenge figures to come from Howell, who kept in the hunt with an aggressive birdie on No. 17 for a 69, making him the only player in the 30-man field to break par at East Lake all three rounds.
Howell is making his debut in the season-ending tournament for the top 30 players on the money list, but his position is familiar, too.
While he never has played in the final group on a Sunday, he was three behind going into the last day at the Michelob Championship, where he claimed his only PGA Tour victory.
Faltered with bogies
Woods' magical ride around East Lake -- which included a birdie from an adjacent fairway and a left-handed shot from the leaves to save par -- came to a crashing halt with bogeys on two of his last three holes.
He wound up with a 67 to finish five strokes behind, and will be paired with Mickelson in the final round. Lefty also had a 67 and had to fight just as hard for it.
David Toms also was at 206 after a 70 that featured a rare ruling on the par-3 18th green. His ball stopped in a pitch mark, and Toms had to move it about 2 feet to the left to keep it from rolling down the hill.