Toms takes control at Wachovia

Leader holds five-stroke edge after round of 66

? A chip-in for eagle and a brilliant fairway bunker shot enabled David Toms to pull away from the pack Saturday in the Wachovia Championship and take a big step toward his first victory in 20 months.

On a steamy, blustery afternoon at Quail Hollow, Toms matched the best score of the tournament with a 6-under 66 to build a five-stroke lead.

Tiger Woods is the only other player this year to lead by as many as five shots after 54 holes. He went on to win at Bay Hill by 11 strokes despite a nasty stomach virus.

Toms was at 11-under 205 and had a big cushion over Kirk Triplett (67), Robert Gamez (71) and J.P. Hayes (72).

With everyone around him stuck in neutral, Toms wound up firmly in charge.

Nick Price, who led by one going into Saturday, tried to recover from a sluggish start but consecutive birdies late in the round still left him at 74.

Price was in a large group at 5-under 211 that included Charles Howell III, who was only two behind Toms with three holes to play until back-to-back bogeys.

Fred Couples was happy just to finish his 74, leaving him seven strokes behind. Couples, one of five players who had the lead at one point in the third round, was bending over to read a short par putt on No. 10 when his left knee buckled as he tried to stand. He grabbed his lower back — a decade-old injury — and promptly hooked his next tee shot into the trees. He was in obvious pain the rest of the round.