Hoch (65) Two Behind Elkington

Even Scott Hoch thinks Steve Elkington might be playing too well to be caught at the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

“Probably one of my best rounds,” was Hoch’s answer when asked what it would take today for him to overcome Elkington’s two-stroke lead.

“He’s playing better than anybody right now, so it’s going to be difficult,” Hoch said.

No one played better than Hoch in Saturday’s third round on the Stadium Course at TPC.

His 65 was two strokes better than anyone else on a gusty, overcast day and nobody else was closer than five strokes behind Elkington, whose 68 put him at 13-under-par 203 to Hoch’s 205.

Billy Andrade and Tom Purtzer were at 208, Kirk Triplett was at 209 and PGA winner Mark Brooks was at 210 along with Tommy Tolles and Larry Mize.

Elkington started the day with three consecutive birdies and led by as many as five strokes as it appeared for a time as if the tournament would become a runaway.

“I basically did what I needed to do,” Elkington said. “It shortened who can win a little bit. If I play good, I’ve probably got to beat one or two guys. If I don’t, I bring more in.”

But Hoch’s 65 and two closing bogeys by Elkington made it tight. Hoch made seven birdies and no bogeys.

“I got no clue where that came from,” said Hoch, who has not finished higher than 13th in 13 Players Championships, missing the cut seven times.

Hoch needed only 25 putts in the third round and only 81 putts so far this week.

Elkington, who played with methodical precision until hitting uncharacteristic poor iron shots on Nos. 17 and 18, had his third consecutive round in the 60s.

Continuing his brilliant iron play, six of Elkington’s seven birdie putts were within 10 feet and three of those were two-footers.

Tiger Woods shot a 72 and was at 216 along with Nick Faldo, who shot a 73.

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Dave Stockton made six birdies during a stretch of seven holes en route to a six-under 66 and a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Dominion Seniors tournament at San Antonio.

Stockton enters today’s final round with a nine-under 135.

After four pars, he made a birdie with an 18-footer, then parred the sixth hole before his run of five consecutive birdies that ended with a 25-foot putt at No. 11.

Former Dominion champion Chi Chi Rodriguez was one stroke back after a 67. David Graham was two strokes off after a 69.

Larry Gilbert (70) and first-round co-leader John Jacobs (71) were three behind Stockton.