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CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Quail Hollow Club’s tree-lined, old-style setup has produced an impressive list of winners, ranging from Vijay Singh to Jim Furyk to last year’s champion, Tiger Woods.

With Woods unable to defend his Wachovia Championship title following knee surgery, Anthony Kim moved a step away from joining that elite list—a month shy of his 23rd birthday.

The steady, focused, and less flamboyant Kim shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a four-shot lead over Jason Bohn and Heath Slocum after the third round.

While Kim still sports the signature belt buckle with his initials, the big hitter’s recent focus on his game left him at 13-under and as close as ever to his first PGA Tour win.

Kim passed Bohn, the second-round leader and playing partner, by sinking a 9-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole. Kim added another birdie at No. 14, then navigated through the course’s tough closing stretch with his best golf of the round.

After getting up and down for par on the 17th, Kim ripped a 324-yard drive on No. 18 before his second shot landed 7 feet from the cup. He made the putt and calmly walked off the course well ahead of one of the strongest non-major fields on the tour.

Bohn’s chip-in for par on the 18th gave him a 72 and a second-place tie with Slocum, who charged into contention by holing out for eagle on the 15th hole. Slocum shot a 68 and will be paired with Stewart Cink on Sunday. Cink was tied with Dudley Hart at 8 under.

They’ll all chase Kim, who has quickly dismissed early talk of a sophomore slump.

After three missed cuts and no finish better than 30th in six tournaments, Kim decided he was “talking a little bit more than I was practicing.” His renewed focus led to his tie for second at the Verizon Heritage last month.

Bohn, who entered the day with a two-shot lead over Kim, missed birdie putts on 13 and 14, then bogeyed the par-5 15th. That allowed Kim to roar past him.

Kim was born in Los Angeles and was the NCAA freshman of the year at Oklahoma in 2004. He turned pro after his junior year and burst onto the PGA Tour by tying for second in the Texas Open in 2006.

As the youngest rookie on the PGA Tour in 2007, Kim had four top-10 finishes—including a seventh-place finish at Quail Hollow.

Phil Mickelson recovered from two double bogeys in his final four holes Friday to shoot a 69. He was at 5 under, but Kim’s strong finish left him eight shots back.