MOBILE, Ala. — Lorena Ochoa moved into position to wrap up the LPGA Tour player of the year race and win her sixth title of the year, shooting a 9-under 63 yesterday to take a five-stroke lead in the LPGA Tournament of Champions.

The 24-year-old Mexican star, seeking her third straight victory, needs a win today to win the player of the year points race and become the first player other than Annika Sorenstam or Karrie Webb to secure the honor since 1996.

"This is a really big tournament for me because of that," Ochoa said about clinching the award before facing Sorenstam and Webb next week in the season-ending ADT Championship. "I think it will be a lot easier to get that done, player of the year. This is a tough tournament, tough competition and the golf course is playing tough.

Ochoa, coming off a three-week break, had a 14-under 202 total on Magnolia Grove's Crossings Course. In her last two starts, she won the Corona Morelia Championship in Mexico and rallied to beat Sorenstam in the Samsung World Championship.

"I'm just glad that I'm in a good position," Ochoa said. "I'm glad that I'm in the final group. That was my goal, just to have a chance to win the tournament. I don't want to think all of that. I want to get here tomorrow, not think about it, have fun, have a good round. I'm not going to think all of the things outside, just play my own game tomorrow and enjoy."

Creamer shot a 69.

"She played well today," Creamer said about Ochoa. "I can go out and play well like she did today, tomorrow. I will be playing with her. I'm still in the last group, which is nice. She has been playing really well, so that will help motivate myself."

Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, who started the day tied for the lead with Moira Dunn, was third at 7 under after a 73. Stacy Prammanasudh (71) was 6 under, while Dunn (78) was 2 under.

Ochoa has played the last 33 holes in 13 under, an amazing recovery from a quadruple bogey-8 on the first hole of the second round. She also bogeyed the third hole Friday and at that point was 1 under for the tournament.

"I think after yesterday, the way I started the round and how mental it was for me, just to try to make birdies and catch up and get myself in a good position," Ochoa said. "I was just tired, mentally tired. Today was the opposite. Everything was just so easy, just one of those days."

HSBC CHAMPIONS

GOOSEN TAKES ONE-SHOT LEAD INTO SHANGHAI FINAL

Tiger Woods' winning streak in stroke events is in trouble.

Woods bogeyed the last two holes yesterday to fall five shots behind leader Retief Goosen going into the final round of the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, China.

Woods has won six consecutive stroke events on the PGA Tour, his last loss coming in a runner-up finish at the Western Open in July.

Starting the third round at 8 under after his record-tying 64 in the second, Woods shot a 73 in cold and blustery conditions yesterday to drop to 7-under 209.

Goosen made five birdies and two bogeys for 69, one of only 17 players to break par in the third round.

He had a one-shot cushion on Yang Yong-eun, a 34-year-old South Korean who carded a 67 for the best score of the day.

"Whenever you're leading going into the final round, it's great," Goosen said. "I've got somebody tomorrow that I have to watch out that I don't know. Yang is obviously playing extremely well ... Obviously Tiger is there, and we all know what he's capable of."

Woods has played down the significance of the win streak, saying his perfect run ended in September when he lost in the first round of the HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, England.

And this is not a PGA Tour event. The HSBC Champions is the first tournament of the 2007 European Tour and is co-sanctioned by the Asian, Australasian, South African and Chinese tours.

NATIONWIDE TOUR

KUCHAR GOES LONG WAY FOR THREE-STROKE LEAD

PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar holed a 30-foot eagle putt and a 40-foot birdie chip en route to a 5-under 67 for a three-stroke lead yesterday in the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Richmond, Texas.

Already safe in the race for 2007 PGA Tour cards at No. 12 on the money list, the former Georgia Tech star started the day in a five-way tie for the lead.

Kuchar, the 2002 Honda Classic winner, distanced himself from the field with the eagle putt on the par-5 fifth hole and the chip shot on 17. He had a 13-under 209 total on The Houstonian course. Boo Weekley was second after a 68.