MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Glen Hnatiuk proved he can protect a lead Saturday, shooting a third consecutive 6-under-par 65 that kept him atop the leaderboard with a four-stroke margin after three rounds of the St. Jude Classic.

Hnatiuk had never led a PGA tournament before this week, but he put himself in position to win his first title wire-to-wire with an eight-birdie, two-bogey round that gave him an 18-under 195 total.

Notah Begay, enjoying his best tournament since a back injury essentially wiped out his 2001 season, shot a 68 and was tied at 14 under with Tim Petrovic (66) and Matt Kuchar (67). Pat Bates (69) was five strokes back.

David Toms (65), Tripp Isenhour (64) and Neal Lancaster (64) were tied at 12-under 201.

Hnatiuk shared a one-stroke lead with Petrovic after a suspended first round and had a one-stroke lead to himself following the second.

He didn't hit his irons as well Saturday, but relied on his short game as he scrambled to keep his lead, including two chip-ins for birdie.

Hnatiuk wasted no time stretching his lead as he birdied his first two holes and went to 14 under.

He birdied the par-5 5th after chipping up to 2 feet for a two-stroke lead over Begay, Bates and Lancaster.

Not even dropping a stroke with a bogey on No. 6 as he pulled his tee shot and couldn't get up and down bothered him. He rebounded with birdies on two of the next three holes as he chipped in from 25 feet on No. 7, sank a 35-footer on No. 9 and turned at 16 under.

Hnatiuk, who didn't miss a fairway on Friday, struggled off the tee.

He birdied the par-3 11th with a 10-foot putt then hit a wedge onto the green at the par-4 12th that hit the pin and spun back off the green and into the fringe. He chipped in for birdie from 18 feet that also hit the pin.

Hnatiuk saved par on the next three holes as he hit into the left rough with his drive on No. 13 and two-putted, put his tee shot into the rough left of the green on the par-3 14th and two-putted on No. 15.

Facing a birdie hole on the par-5, 528-yard 16th, Hnatiuk bounced a 3-wood off the green left into the rough. But he chipped up and tapped in for birdie that put him 18 under with a comfortable edge as he finished with consecutive pars.

Begay got the closest to Hnatiuk on the back nine, getting within two strokes as he birdied No. 16 to go 15 under. He gave the stroke back on No. 18 when he hung a 4-iron into a bunker right of the green and couldn't get up and down.

Kuchar gave himself a chance as he birdied the final four holes, and he will be paired with Begay on Sunday.

Divots: The PGA Tour already has had nine first-time winners this year. … Bob Estes, the defending champion, is nine strokes off the lead. But he had the shot of the day on the par-3 14th when he used a 4-iron from 224 yards for a hole-in-one. It was the 10th since this event moved to the TPC at Southwind. … Lancaster had a roller-coaster round for his 64. He could have tied the course record with his 10 birdies except he bogeyed the par-4 6th and the par-4 18th. The Associated Press