Jason Day has survived bursts of rain and a few bogeys for a two-under 70 to keep his two-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The starting times for the third round were moved forward on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) to avoid a forecast of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Players still had to cope with occasionally heavy rain, though Bay Hill held up nicely and so did the 28-year-old Australian Day.
He was at 15-under 201, leading Henrik Stenson (70), Troy Merritt (67) and Kevin Chappell (67).
"I felt like I couldn't get any momentum, especially with the umbrella up and down, the rain gear on and off," Day said.
"All that said, I feel like I stayed patient to ground out a two under par."
Adam Scott, coming off back-to-back victories on the Florida swing, was trying to at least give himself a chance when he was nine under playing the 18th.
He went into the water with his second shot and made triple bogey, posting a 70 to fall nine shots behind at six under.
Day made bogey from the bunker on the second hole, and he dropped another shot on the 11th when his approach bounced down the slope just short of the green and into the water.
But he made up for it with three birdies on par fives and chipping in for birdie on the eighth hole.
Queenslander Day will be in the final group with Merritt, who won for the first time on the PGA Tour last year at the Quicken Loans National by three shots over Rickie Fowler.
Stenson will be in the penultimate group with Chappell, who is playing his 150th PGA Tour event and still trying to win.
Day, however, presents a strong challenge for everyone chasing him.
Justin Rose (71) and Derek Fathauer (69) were four shots behind and still capable of a rally.
No one else was closer than five.
Rory McIlroy doesn't have much at stake, either.
Whatever momentum he was trying to find ended with an approach into the water on the 18th (his ninth hole), and he made two more double bogeys on his way to a 75 to be 16 shots behind.
Day hasn't won in six months.
Then again, this is only his fifth tournament since then.
Even though he has experience with the lead - six shots at the BMW Championship, two shots at the PGA Championship - it felt good to feel the nerves of trying to protect a lead in the final round.
"I love the feeling of being in the lead. Now I have to push forward until Sunday is done," he said.
Day would love to get back to No.1 in the world.
A victory on Sunday would at least get him within range of Jordan Spieth with the Masters approaching.
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