CROMWELL, Conn.—Stewart Cink got his first PGA Tour victory at TPC River Highlands in 1997 by shooting 13 under.

He figures he’ll need to be at least 20 under Sunday to win the Travelers Championship on the same course.

“There’s no guarantees the way the course is, but I think that would be a good target score,” Cink said Saturday.

Cink birdied the final two holes Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round. He followed his opening rounds of 66 and 64 with a 5-under 65 to reach 15-under 195 on the TPC River Highlands, the best 54-hole score of his career.

Heath Slocum (64) was second, and defending champion Hunter Mahan (67), Vijay Singh (64), Kenny Perry (65), Tommy Armour III (65) and Kevin Streelman (62) were 12 under.

On a day when 24 golfers shot 66 or better, 17 players ended up within five shots of the lead going into Sunday’s final round. The average score of 68.2 was the best ever for a third round on the course.

“I think this will be fun for the fans out there (Sunday), for the guys playing, for the TV audience,” Slocum said. “I think it will be a shootout, and it seems like we havent’ had a ton of those this year. It ought to be fun.”

Cink is looking for his first victory this year after six top-10 finishes. He is ranked seventh in the FedEx Cup point standings, the highest ranking of any golfer who hasn’t won a tournament. But he usually plays well here, on a course where he earned his first tour victory as a rookie in 1997.

Cink had dropped in a tie with Slocum after hitting his tee shot on 16 into the water, but rebounded with an 11-foot birdie put on 17, and hit an approach within 2 feet on 18.

“I felt like I gained some momentum back and put myself in a good mind-set for tomorrow,” Cink said.

Slocum, who shot a 65 last Sunday for the low round at the U.S. Open, said that play has carried over. He bogeyed two holes on the front nine, then adjusted his swing and hit all nine greens after the turn. He finished with eight birdies.

“Definitely the putter has carried over to this week,” he said. “I’m going to probably have to lean on it tomorrow hard if I’m going to think about winning this golf tournament.”

Singh began making a move on the par-3 fifth, knocking in a 52-foot birdie put from the edge of the green and eagled the next hole after putting his second shot 4 feet below the pin.

Singh appeared to be in position to birdie the 18th after hitting a tee shot 341 yards. But his wedge shot found a right-side bunker and he missed a 6-foot par put.

Course conditions have been almost perfect for the first three days of play. Rain Friday night kept the greens soft, and with little wind, players were again aiming for the flag.

Streelman, D.J. Trahan and Chad Campbell all went out early and shot 62, one off the course record.



LPGA Tour

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—After a breakout season on the LPGA Tour, Suzann Pettersen is tinkering with her swing again and keeping a tight lid on expectations.

“I’m a little bit surprised I’m playing this well, I must be honest,” the Norwegian star said after shooting a 5-under 67 in the Wegmans LPGA on Saturday to open a three-stroke lead over Morgan Pressel and South Koreans Eun-Hee Ji and Inbee Park.

The 28-year-old Pettersen, a five-time tour winner in 2007, hasn’t found her winning groove so far this year but has finishes of second, third and ninth in 10 events and is ninth on the money list. Her bogey-free round got her to 14-under 202.

“It’s not like I’m surprised I’m playing solid, but I have less expectations, so maybe that’s good,” she said. “Of course you want to win tournaments, but a tournament is a four-day race and you’ve got to make sure you’re there every day. There’s no room for mistakes. At least I’m in a good position for tomorrow.”

Ji, who has ties for fourth and ninth in her second year on tour, holed out from 170 yards to open with an eagle and ran up six more birdies for a 64 and a second-place tie at 11 under.

“I had some lucky holes today,” said the 22-year-old Seoul native, whose best finish was second to Pettersen at South Korea’s Kolon Championship in October. “I wouldn’t say it’s my turn to beat her. ... It’s more about winning my first LPGA tournament.”

The 19-year-old Park (69), who tied for fourth at the U.S. Women’s Open in her rookie year in 2007, shot her third sub-70 round. And Pressel (71), who held a one-stroke lead over Pettersen after the second round, got her only birdie on the last hole.

“Nobody is unbeatable out there,” Pressel said. “I’m not going to say I can’t catch her (Pettersen), but she played great today.”

Japan’s Ai Miyazato and South Korean Hee-Won Han were at 9 under.



Champions Tour

CONCORD, Mass.—The Boss of the Moss was at a loss.

Loren Roberts had just three-putted from 30 feet for a double bogey on the ninth hole at the Bank of America Championship on Saturday. His goal for No. 10: Don’t let the uncharacteristic shakiness destroy his whole round.

“I came back and birdied 10, so I am really proud of myself,” Roberts said after shooting a second-day 66 to take a one-stroke lead heading into the final round. “I guess I got all of the bad ones out on one hole.”

Roberts birdied the 18th to move to 10 under, one stroke ahead of Mark McNulty (70), Jeff Sluman (67) and first-round leader Tom Kite (72). Bobby Wadkins (67) was another stroke back at 8 under on the 6,741-yard, par-72 Nashawtuc Country Club course.

Roberts has won seven times in his 3 1/2 years on the Champions Tour but has never played in this tournament, even though he’s had some success in the area. He won the 1997 CVS Charity Classic in Sutton, before the PGA Tour dropped the event.

Kite tied the tournament record with a 63 on Friday and was the only other golfer to make it to 10 under during the second round. But he bogeyed No. 17 before finishing with a birdie.

Kite, who lost a chance to win here in 2001 when his tee shot on No. 17 hit a bird and fell into a pond, had five bogeys and five birdies on Saturday.