Weather forces earlier
tee times

KAPALUA, Maui » Bad weather forecast to hit Maui later today forced the PGA Tour to move up the tee times to 7:10 a.m. with a projected finish of 1 p.m.

Golfers will also be going off both sides to help ensure the Mercedes Championships will end before the rain arrives. The ESPN-TV broadcast times will not be affected, which means they will be tape delayed.

Should the weather become so much of a factor that the tournament can't be completed today, it will be moved to tomorrow. The third-round leader will not automatically win the tournament.

Broadcast for the first event of the year is still set for 2-5 p.m. Hawaii time. ESPN is expecting a big ratings number because today's last National Football League wild-card game will end shortly after the all-sports network starts its golf broadcast in prime time back East.

"The weather isn't expected to hit Maui until around 11 a.m.," vice president of marketing Kim Carpenter said. "If we don't finish on Sunday, we'll try to get it finished on Monday. Because the two tournaments are so close, there's no reason not to try to get in the final round because it won't affect that many golfers."

Familiar spot: Third-round leader Vijay Singh is leading after 54 holes for the 23rd time in his career. He has walked away a winner 15 times, including his last 11 straight. This is the first time Singh has led after three rounds in nine trips to the Mercedes Championships.

"I just played my own game yesterday and wasn't too worried about what other guys were doing," Singh said. "I watch leaderboards, but that doesn't mean it bothers me to see someone get off to a fast start."

Singh hasn't had a bogey through the first 54 holes. The last player to manage no bogeys through 72 holes and win a tournament was Lee Trevino at the 1974 New Orleans Open.

Living in the 60s: Six players have the opportunity to open the season with four rounds in the 60s. Singh, Jonathan Kaye, Ernie Els, Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods and Vaughn Taylor have turned the trick through the first three rounds.

Singh did it once before at the 2003 Mercedes Championships when he finished tied for fourth. Els did it during his win in 2003 in which he shot 31 under par. Kaye, Cink and Woods have never done it here. Taylor is a first-timer and hasn't managed the feat in 30 previous tournaments.

Singh wins for charity: Singh was named this week's CRESTOR Charity Challenge winner for his first-place standing entering the final round. The season-long competition recognizes and rewards the tournament leader entering the final round of 35 PGA Tour events.

For Singh's performance, the Mercedes will donate $50,000 to Kapalua Charities and $50,000 to the health care charity of Singh's choice.

"All of Maui comes together to make this event so successful," Mercedes tournament chairman Gary Planos said. "We are proud to be able to give back to the community and provide much-needed funds for these vital organizations."

Scoring the holes: After 54 holes, the par-3 eighth took the lead as the most difficult on the course with a scoring average of 3.043. There have been 10 birdies, 10 bogeys and two double bogeys on that hole. The easiest is the par-5 15th with a scoring average of 4.290.