NORTON, Mass. — Sunshine began to bake the greens, the wind kept players guessing and the birdie cheers kept right on coming yesterday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, the final one for Mike Weir.

His third birdie over the final five holes gave him a 4-under 67 and a one-shot lead.

And it meant next to nothing.

"I've got my hands full," Weir said.

First came a pair of 63s from Ben Crane and Camilo Villegas, the kind of score no one thought possible in such blustery conditions. Then came the steady surge of Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh, and a late charge from Ernie Els and Jim Furyk to set the stage for the Labor Day finish.

Expect everyone to work extra hard to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"One less than the guy who comes in second," Garcia said when asked what it would take to capture the second stop in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.

Weir was at 17-under 196, the 10th time the Canadian has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. He has converted only one of those chances into a victory.

"There's great players on the leaderboard," Weir said. "Some guys that are hungry to win for the first time, guys that haven't won many times, and I'm trying to do the same thing. I just want to keep playing my type of golf."

Villegas ignored the swirling wind and took only 22 putts in his round of 63, which put him in the final group today with Weir, one shot behind and perhaps his best chance for his first PGA Tour victory.

Three shots behind were Garcia (68) and Singh (69), part of the playoff last week at The Barclays that Singh won to move atop the FedEx Cup standings.

And right behind them were Furyk, who birdied three of his last four holes for a 69; Els, who made eagle on the final hole after nearly holing a 5-iron and posting a 69; and Crane, whose 63 came much earlier in the day.

Hawai'i's Dean Wilson shot a 72 in the third round for a 211. He made the cut, but did not qualify for the final round.