LAS VEGAS, Nevada: Chris DiMarco, seeking his first PGA title since 2002, fired a nine-under par 63 Saturday to move within one stroke of leader Marc Turnesa after the third round of the Shriners Hospital Open.

DiMarco chipped in twice for eagles, at the par-5 ninth and 16th holes, and added his sixth birdie at the 18th to conclude his low round of the year and end 54 holes on 20-under 196 with US compatriots Ken Duke and Mike Allen.

"I've been working on my game really hard and I'm reaping the rewards right now. It's nice to see," DiMarco said.

DiMarco, who fired a 64 Friday, won the most recent of his three PGA titles at the 2002 Phoenix Open but has not had a top-10 finish since last year's World Golf Invitational event at Akron, Ohio.

DiMarco, who needed only 25 putts Saturday, underwent shoulder surgery a year ago and said only now is his game rounding into form.

"It was a month ago where I started feeling like I had no pain in my shoulder, started getting my confidence back. The last two weeks my confidence has been high," he said.

"When you do a lot of good things, good things happen for you."

Turnesa, an American seeking his first PGA title like Duke and Allen, fired a 62 on Thursday and a 64 Friday before grabbing the lead with a 69 Sunday.

He made a bogey at the fourth, closed the front nine with a birdie, took another bogey at 11 but answered with birdies on four of the next five holes to move atop the leaderboard.

Turnesa and Matt Kuchar each birdied the 16th to share the lead at 21-under, but Kuchar found a rocky hazard off the 18th tee and closed with a double bogey to stand on 197 with fellow Americans Chris Stroud and Zach Johnson.

Rookie Turnesa, who missed the cut in six of his past eight events, stands 138th on the money list with three events remaining and hopes for a solid showing at this 4.1 million-dollar event to keep PGA playing rights for 2009.

Last month, Turnesa blew a three-shot lead on the back nine, taking a costly double bogey on the 71st hole, and lost a playoff at a PGA event in Madison, Mississippi.

Duke sank an eight-foot birdie at the 18th to finish on 20-under after a 67.

Allen, 10 places behind a qualifying spoilt for next season at 135th on the money list, started 5-under through four holes on his way to a 64.

"I was hoping to make a nice start. I hit a putt from about 25 feet on the first hole and that got me going the rest of the round," Allen said.

Allen, 49 and hoping to delay his start on the 50-and-over circuit, forsees an epic shootout on Sunday.

"First one to 30-under wins," Allen said. "I'll just try to go out and get another good start. It's going to be a shootout. You can't be happy with pars out there."

Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, won last week's Texas Open for his first title of the year.

Sweden's Jesper Parnevik, also fighting to reach the PGA's top 125 money winners and keep his exemption for next year, fired a 66 to move five shots off the pace.

- AFP/yb