HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — Paula Creamer told herself to be patient and it finally paid off. She birdied her final three holes today to shoot a 4-under 68 for the three-day lead heading into the final round of the Samsung World Championship.

Angela Stanford led for much of the day but hurt herself with two double-bogeys on the back nine before birdies on the final two holes for a 3-under 69 to stay one stroke back at 5-under 211 going into Sunday. Australian Katherine Hull hit an eagle on No. 4 and also birdied 18 for a 69 to stay within two strokes of the lead on a day when birdies were hard to come by for everybody in the elite 20-player field.

Two-time defending Samsung champion and world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa shot a 70 and is two strokes off the lead with a 4-under 212. She narrowly missed several birdie putts while watching Stanford come up big time and again with accuracy in both her short and long games. They played a fast-paced front nine minus the changing wind that was such a nuisance Friday.

Players hit through a light drizzle at times on a cool fall day in the Bay Area but the rain never lasted for long.

Creamer, who had birdied only No. 7 before her strong finish, played solid par golf all day and didn't have a bogey. She would like nothing more than to capture the $250,000 winner's purse while playing nearby her hometown of Pleasanton.

Stanford followed her double-eagle from a day earlier with another strong round.

Juli Inkster (68) jumped up the leaderboard and for a short time got to 4-under after going 5-under with five birdies for the day through the first 10 holes. She had bogeys on Nos. 12, 13 and 15 to go to 3-under 213 for the tournament.

The 30-year-old Stanford, bothered on most shots Friday by the troublesome left shoulder, was clearly relaxed and enjoying herself — while Ochoa appeared frustrated at times during her round on the Half Moon Bay Golf Links' Ocean Course.

Ochoa bogeyed No. 1 and then her tee shot on the second hole sailed left into the soggy rough. She chipped out of it to five feet of the cup and made the birdie putt, pumping her right fist as the gallery roared.