England's Justin Rose fired a 66 for an18 under par aggregate and holds a two-stroke lead after the third round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in California.
Rose moved into position to push for his first US Tour victory with five birdies, an eagle and a bogey at the Arnold Palmer Course at PGA West - one of four courses used in the pro-am tournament which features celebrities and amateurs.
Scott Verplank, who shared the second-round lead with Rose, shot a 68 and was 16-under after a round which contained five birdies and a bogey.
Three players - Lucas Glover, John Rollins and first-round leader Robert Allenby - were all tied for third, five shots behind Rose.
Bernhard Langer had the best round of the day, a nine-under 63 at Bermuda Dunes, and jumped from a tie for 89th to tied for 13th. Langer made two straight eagles, including a hole in one at the seventh.
Phil Mickelson, the only player in the top 30 of the world rankings entered in the event, shot a three-under 69 to be seven under for the tournament.
Rose, who is based in Florida, admitted he felt the chilly weather more than he might have a few years ago.
"I'm becoming a bit of a Floridian now, I must say; I'm not used to the cold any more," he said.
It was nonetheless nowhere near close to the toughest conditions he has known.
"I remember playing an amateur tournament at a course next to Royal St George's," he said. "I remember not being able to feel my hands - it was so cold. My dad was caddying for me, and I was about 12 or 13 at the time. There was a kid walking down the left rough in tears - he had just had enough with the weather conditions."
Rose and Verplank began the day tied for the lead and swapped birdies for half of the round. Verplank shot a 32 on the front and then cooled off on the back, making a birdie on the 14th hole. He made bogey two holes later and finished the back nine at even par.
"I missed a couple of pretty short putts," said Verplank. "One was for birdie and one for par. That would have made a nice difference - and then I lipped out from about eight feet on the last hole."
