Choi pushes lead to 4 at Sony

HONOLULU -- A fast start and a strong finish gave K.J. Choi the round he was looking for Saturday in the Sony Open.

Choi got up-and-down from the bunker on the par-5 18th to cap a 4-under 66 and double the size of his margin, taking a 4-shot lead into the final round as he tries to become the first outright wire-to-wire winner at Waialae in eight years.

The only threat on a balmy day by the Pacific came from a rookie who wasn't even on course.

Tim Wilkinson, a left-hander from New Zealand playing in only his third PGA Tour event, birdied seven of his first 11 holes and finished with an 8-under 62 for the best round of the week. That left him 4 shots behind Choi, who shows no sign of cracking.

Choi was at 15-under 195.

Kevin Na, who started the third round 2 shots behind, couldn't keep up with Choi's birdie-birdie start and only a pair of birdies on the final four holes left him in the mix. Na shot 69 and was at 10-under 210 with Stephen Marino (68).

Another shot back was a group that included Chad Campbell, who sized up the situation for everyone chasing Choi.

"He's going to be tough," Campbell said. "He hits a lot of fairways, and that's what you have to do out here."