HONOLULU (AP) – Michelle Wie was still the talk of the Sony Open, at least in the locker room and on the range.

Out on the golf course Saturday, the show belonged to Harrison Frazar.

Winless in 160 previous starts on the PGA Tour, Frazar birdied his final three holes for a 4-under 66 and a one-shot lead over Ernie Els going into the final round at Waialae Country Club.

Frazar was at 14-under 196, although 11 players were within five shots of the lead.

Els wasted a chance to join Frazar in the lead when his drive went into the right rough on the par-5 18th hole, and his pitch from 50 yards came up just short of the green. He had to settle for a par and a 66.

Davis Love III holed a bunker shot for eagle and scrambled for some good pars for a 63, leaving him two strokes behind with Frank Lickliter (65).

Paul Azinger, whose only victory in the last 10 years came at Waialae four years ago, birdied his final two holes and was among those at 11-under 1999.

The gallery lost some of its energy without a 14-year-old girl to chase around.

Wie wowed them all on Friday with a 2-under 68 – the best score ever by a female competing against the men – to miss the cut by one shot.

“It was the talk in the locker room – guys that got out-hit, guys that got beat,” Love said. “It’s an incredible story.”

Love made the best move of the day and is in good position to start the year strong again. He faced a tough bunker shot on the par-5 ninth, but it hopped twice and disappeared into the cup for eagle.

Then on the 13th, he hit a tree with his tee shot and had to pitch out to the fairway. Love saved par by hitting a 7-iron shot to 5 feet to save par.

“I had some good things happen,” Love said.

Still, he noticed a difference from the first two days.

“It seemed boring out there today,” Love said. “Not a whole lot of excitement.”

The highlight was Vijay Singh finding a creative way to play the par-5 18th. For the second straight day, the big Fijian hit his drive well left down the adjacent 10th fairway, taking trouble out of the equation. He hit his approach into about 10 feet and closed with an eagle.

Els had dinner with Singh and heard about his new trick, but figured the tees were too far up to risk the shot, so he went the conventional route – and had to settle for par.

Still, the Big Easy is in great shape to become the first back-to-back winner of the Sony Open since Corey Pavin in 1987.

“I’ve got a chance,” Els said. “And I’ve got to take my chance when I get it.”

He might have been in better shape if not for Frazar.

The 32-year-old Texan was hanging around the lead when he hit an aggressive drive on the 13th, only to waste it by hitting it into the rough, leading to a bogey.

“I didn’t get too discouraged,” Frazar said. “I had plenty of holes left, and I felt like I was hitting it good enough to make birdies.”

He holed 15-foot birdie putts on Nos. 16 and 17, then hit a delicate chip up the slope to 2 feet for a tap-in birdie on the final hole and a one-stroke lead.

It will be the third time Frazar has taken the lead into the final round. He tied for fourth in the Colonial in 1998, and tied for third last year in the Phoenix Open.

The good news: Three of the last four winners at the Sony Open had the 54-hole lead.

The bad news: The exception was Els.

Divots: Singh had a 3-under 67 and was in a tie for 23rd, eight shots out of the lead. He has finished no worse than sixth in his last nine PGA Tour events. … Craig Bowden, who had big galleries the first two rounds while playing with Wie, had a quiet round Saturday of 1-under 69 and was seven shots behind.

AP-ES-01-17-04 2239EST