ORLANDO, Fla. — Arnold Palmer was walking into the locker room yesterday morning at Bay Hill when he bumped into Tiger Woods, who recently surpassed him on the PGA Tour's career victory list by winning every tournament since September.

"He told me to get off my butt and play a good round," Woods said.

Woods responded with birdies on the three toughest holes at Bay Hill for a 4-under 66 and a five-way tie for the lead. The King must have said something to Mother Nature, too, for blustery conditions that contributed to a series of spectacular crashes late in the afternoon turned the Arnold Palmer Invitational into quite a show.

Nine players had at least a share of the lead at one point in the third round.

When the zany, windy and splash-filled afternoon finally ended, Woods was in a familiar position as he tries to extend a winning streak that spans seven months and keep alive a perfect season.

Woods will be in the final pairing today with Sean O'Hair, who won last week at Innisbrook and gave himself a chance for another victory at Bay Hill with a 63, a round he finished before the leaders even teed off.

They were at 6-under 204, joined by Bart Bryant (68), Bubba Watson (68) and Vijay Singh, whose 73 made this all possible.

Singh had a two-shot lead and showed no signs of a struggle until dropping five shots in a four-hole stretch in his front nine of 40. He hit three balls into the water, but chipped in from 30 feet for par on the last miscue to stay in the hunt.

It was the largest log jam in the 30-year history at Bay Hill, and the largest on the PGA Tour since a five-way tie for the lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2005.

Woods never looked to be part of it until two spectacular shots in the toughest conditions.

He carved a 4-iron around the trees to 2 feet on the par-4 15th hole for a birdie, then followed that with a 7-iron that held up against the wind and dropped softly to 3 feet right of the flag for another birdie-3.

It was one of only three birdies at the 16th, the scene of so much calamity that followed.

Woods is 42-3 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, but two of those three losses came when he shared the lead with someone else. He has never started a final round tied with more than one player.

And it's not just the other four still in the hunt.

Sixteen players were separated by a mere three shots heading into the final round. One of them was Hunter Mahan, who bogeyed two of his final five holes and still shot 65. He was one shot behind at 205.

"It's pretty much Tiger's game," Bryant said. "When Tiger plays great, he's tough to beat. The guy has won six or seven in a row or something, and he's not playing great and he's tied for the lead. So you figure he's got to play good at some point. But not to say that somebody can't go out and play a great round and beat him. And not to say he's going to play perfect golf, either.

"It's definitely there for the taking."

MASTERCARD CLASSIC

HUIXQUILUCAN, Mexico — Lorena Ochoa fought to recover from a rough first round in the MasterCard Classic, shooting a 2-under 70 that left the top-ranked Mexican star 11 strokes behind leader Ji-Young Oh.

Ochoa was coming off an opening 76, her highest score in nearly a year.

Oh, a 19-year-old from South Korea in her second season on the LPGA Tour, had five birdies in a bogey-free 67 to top the leaderboard at 9-under 135.

"I like this course. Mexico's elevation is high, so when you hit the ball it goes really far," said Oh, whose only top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour was a sixth at the Safeway Classic last year. "I just feel good. Tomorrow I just think I should enjoy it. Either I win, or come in second, I don't know."

Taiwan's Yani Tseng, a 19-year-old rookie, was 7 under after a 69, while first-round leader Jill McGill (73) and South Korean rookie Na-Yeon Choi (66) were 6 under.

AT&T CHAMPIONS

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Brad Bryant shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead in the AT&T Champions Classic, while first-round leader Nick Price's 77 left him six strokes back entering the final day.

Bryant, the 2007 U.S. Senior Open champion, had a 7-under 137 total on the Valencia Country Club course. He had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys in the second round.

Price, winless in 17 career starts since joining the 50-and-over tour last year, had a double bogey, four bogeys and one birdie yesterday after opening with a 66 on Friday.