Overlooked Frazar Leads Els by One

HONOLULU —  Everything returned to normal Saturday in the Sony Open.

One day after 14-year-old Michelle Wie missed the cut in her PGA Tour debut, Ernie Els got into position to become the first player since 1987 to win the Sony Open in consecutive years.

But it won’t be easy.

Harrison Frazar, winless in 160 starts on the PGA Tour, finished with three birdies at Waialae Country Club for a four-under-par 66 that gave him a one-stroke lead over Els going into the final round.

Frazar walked off the 18th green to warm applause, although it was nothing like the last two days when Wie shot rounds of 72 and 68 to miss the cut by one shot as the youngest player in PGA Tour record books.

“There was such a high yesterday, trying to get her to the weekend,” Els said after his four-under 66.

“Today, it was back to business.”

Frazar, at 14-under 196, will take a lead into the final round for the third time in his career.

Last year in the Phoenix Open, he was overtaken on the last day by a 63 from Vijay Singh.

He also had the third-round lead in the 1998 Colonial, where he finished fourth.

“I learned that you can’t sit back and watch what somebody is doing,” Frazar said. “You’ve got to play and you’ve got to attack.”

Eleven players were within five shots of the lead, including two prominent names near the top -- Els, at 13-under 197, and Davis Love III, who shot a third-round 63 and was another stroke back, tied with Frank Lickliter (65).