DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Charles Howell III has been the best in the Sony Open field the past two days with a 128 total. He leads Luke Donald by a stroke entering today's final round.

‘Third’ takes the third

Howell leads after three rounds, thanks to a 5-under 65; Fujikawa puts himself in the hunt

The air was already out of the balloon by the time Charles Howell III birdied the last to enter today's final round of the $5.2 million Sony Open in Hawaii as the man to beat.

Local golf fans spent 4 hours yesterday urging on Tadd Fujikawa, who briefly flirted with the upper echelon of the leaderboard, before settling comfortably in a tie for eighth, some six shots off the pace. They were tired and ready to go home.

What they missed was Howell firing a 5-under 65 3 hours later to drop to 13-under 197 for the tournament to hold a one-shot lead over Luke Donald (69) and a two-shot advantage over Paul Goydos (70). Howell hasn't won a tournament since the Michelob Championship in 2002 and would like nothing better than to begin 2007 with a victory in the first full-field event on the PGA Tour.

Normally, that would be intriguing enough, but with Fujikawa playing as if he were a tour member his entire life, the eventual winner may have to take a back seat to the local boy made good.

"I think that's the story this week," Goydos said of Fujikawa. "I think that's one of the great accomplishments. He seems like a really good kid, I hope he plays exceptional (today). I think it's going to be a fun day."

Howell echoed those sentiments. The fact they both play Callaway caught Howell's eye right away. And he said as much in the interview room.

"You look at all of the guys who have struggled for so long to play golf on the PGA Tour," Howell said. "And the guys who make it through tour school and the guys who grind it out year after year after year; and then you see a 16-year-old come up and make the cut, and at one point in time, fourth or fifth in the golf tournament?

"I mean, fair play to him. And me being part of Callaway, I love the stuff he's playing and I love the hat on the bag and all that. If he keeps shooting all those scores at 16, fair play."

Howell has had to grind it out on tour, himself. After being named the PGA Tour's rookie of the year in 2001 and winning in 2002, it has been a long haul for Howell, who has held only three 54-hole leads in his career. The most recent was last year at the now defunct 84 Lumber Classic. He wound up in second, two shots behind winner Ben Curtis.

"I've got to block (a possible win) out of my mind," Howell said. "And anybody who says they don't is lying to you. That's probably the biggest enemy in this game, is thinking ahead. It's a challenge of mine to block that out and to stay right here with what I'm doing."

Howell began the day three shots behind first- and second-round leader Donald, who had an up-and-down round at best. Howell finally drew even at the par-4 14th, then pulled away with birdies at Nos. 17 and 18. Donald was down by two when standing over his birdie putt at the 18th. He rolled it in to be assured of playing in the final group.

"Well, I've only won twice myself, so it's not like I have an abundance of wins," Donald said of teeing off last. "You know, Charlie is a great player and I'm sure he'll play great (today). I'm not going to go out there and watch him play. I'm going to go play my own game and hopefully that's good enough."

Howell had the best 36-hole score over the last two days with a 128. The second-best total in that time frame among the leaders was turned in by Fujikawa. His back-to-back 66s bettered Donald by three and Goydos by five, and puts him in a position to secure a top-10 finish.

When asked if he could ever imagine being in this position before the start of the tournament, he conceded it could happen.

"It would be possible, but I think at this tournament, at any PGA tournament, that's really not likely," Fujikawa said. "Well, for me anyway. But it's always possible. You know, I'm just out there doing my best, like I said, and anything's possible."

That it is. Fujikawa made the turn at 3-under 32 and dipped to 5 under for his round with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 11 and 12 to move into a tie for fourth. By then, the crowd had swelled to Michelle Wie-like numbers, trying to get a glimpse at this mighty mite as he kept his golf ball between the ropes.

He never realized just where he was in relation with the other golfers in the field. Whenever he looked at the leaderboards, he didn't see his name, and by the time he walked off the 18th green to the roar of an appreciative crowd, it didn't matter.

"I didn't even see my name," Fujikawa said. "I wasn't paying attention. I do (look), but I wasn't looking at the right moment I guess. I'm just out there having fun and doing the best I can. Like I said, I didn't see myself on the leaderboard as tied for fourth or anything like that. I just want to take one shot at a time and stay in the moment."

That's the advice many of the golfers have given Fujikawa this week, including today's playing partner, Jim Furyk. The world's No. 2-ranked golfer said Friday that he hadn't had the opportunity to meet the 16-year-old sophomore from Moanalua High School, who later that day would become the second-youngest player ever to survive the cut in a tour event.

"I should have gone over and said hi," Furyk said, who missed the cut in his first tour event in Tucson as an 18-year-old in college. "I was out here at dark putting (Thursday) night and he was out there chipping and goofing around and having fun. And it didn't strike me until I was driving home that he played in the morning, and he probably hung out and had fun and enjoyed it. It was refreshing to see that, instead of us. We're always grouchy and working."