Campbell and Toms share lead in Hawaii

A brilliant putting display lifted David Toms into a share of the lead with Chad Campbell after the third round of the Sony Open.

Toms sank six putts from outside 15 feet, including a 75-foot monster from the fringe at the par-four 16th, en route to a career-low nine-under-par 61 in benign conditions at Waialae Country Club.

“I made a couple of nice putts on the back nine that you are not supposed to make, but that is what you do when you have a hot round,” said Toms, who joined Campbell at 14-under 196.

Campbell shot a blistering 62. He and Furyk turned the tournament into a two-horse race, seven strokes clear of Bubba Watson (66) and Shane Bertsch (63).

Jim Furyk, who shared the second-round lead with Campbell, had a horrible start with three early bogeys before ending tied for fifth, eight shots off the pace.

If Toms was hot on the greens, Campbell was equall sizzling getting to them.

“He drove the ball fantastic and hit it close to the hole,” Toms said of his 2004 Ryder Cup team-mate. “It just didn’t look like he was going to struggle at all in any part of his game. The way he was playing, you know he was leading.

“I was surprised when he missed a fairway, and when he didn’t get a ball close to the hole, he was swinging that well. I was just looking to keep up.”

Campbell had a relatively quiet 2005, finishing 20th on the money list as he struggled to find equipment he really liked. In the third round here, he had no complaints about his clubs.

“Anytime you shoot 62 is a great day,” the quiet Texan said. “I got it in the fairway quite a bit, and you can attack this course when you do that. I am really patient right now and not getting upset with anything. The last couple of days, you could get upset with the wind driving you crazy.”

The wind blew fiercely for the first two rounds but subsided for the third. Scoring was much better, with the field averaging a touch under 68.7 strokes.

Campbell and Toms edged clear of the field on the front nine as both played it in four-under before building an almost insurmountable advantage coming home.

When one player has a seven-shot lead, the tournament is not necessarily over, but when two do, it is hard to envision both blowing up or melting down.

“If the weather is like this, somebody could come from behind and do what we did, but I feel like both of us are playing well enough that we will be tough to catch,” Toms said. “I know he is going to play well and I will have to do the same.”

Toms, who underwent a relatively minor heart procedure two months ago, has an excellent record playing with the lead. He is 7-2 when starting the final round on top, whle Campbell is a mediocre 1-3.