Matteson shoots 65 and leads

Troy Matteson has turned his rookie season into a rousing success. He did it in four weeks too.

Now, instead of worrying about job security -- something he did continuously until his first PGA Tour victory a week ago -- Matteson can start thinking about the possibility of playing in the 2007 Masters.

Matteson birdied the last two holes Saturday, finished with a seven-under 65 and had a one-shot lead at 19-under 197 after the third round of the Funai Classic at Disney in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

“It’s been good to see my game turn around,” said Matteson, a three-time All-American at Georgia Tech and the 2002 NCAA champion. “To win out here once is pretty difficult. To do it two or three or four times, it’s extremely difficult.”

Joe Durant (64) was second at 18 under, one stroke ahead of first- and second-round leader Justin Rose (72). Twenty others -- including Davis Love III, Mark Calcavecchia and Mike Weir -- were within six shots of the leader.

Matteson, meanwhile, is starting to get accustomed to being on the leaderboard. He tied for eighth four weeks ago at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, then had a sixth-place finish the following week in Greensboro. The two-week spree moved him from 172nd on the money list to 143rd -- in position to retain his full-time tour card.

It got even better last week in Las Vegas, where Matteson won the Frys.com Open for his first Tour title.

The victory vaulted him to 71st on the money list.

Now, he’s looking to make it two in a row -- and has a shot at qualifying for the Masters. He has to finish the season in the top 40 on the money list to earn a spot in the Masters. A win at Disney would help.

“I didn’t think the Masters would be something I would worry about until I was in my mid-30s, even if you get in at all,” Matteson, 26, said.

*

Nicole Castrale remained in position to win her first LPGA Tour title, shooting a four-under 68 in hot conditions to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand in Chonburi.

The 27-year-old American birdied the first four holes on the Amata Spring course, holing a 20-foot putt on No. 1, hitting a lob wedge to three feet on No. 2 and adding 15-footers on Nos. 3 and 4. She also birdied No. 7 and made a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 12 but dropped two strokes with bogeys on Nos. 13 and 16.

Castrale, a former USC standout in her first full season on the tour, had an 11-under 133 total. South Korea’s Hee-Won Han (68) was nine under, and Christina Kim (66) was eight under.

*

Fred Funk shot a four-under 67 to maintain a one-stroke lead in the AT&T; Championship in San Antonio, his third event on the Champions Tour.

The 50-year-old Funk, a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour, had a 10-under 132 total on the Oak Hills course. Raymond Floyd (66) was a stroke back, and defending champion Jay Haas (64) was two shots behind along with Keith Fergus (67) and Scott Simpson (68).

Haas, coming off a victory in the rain-shortened Administaff Small Business Classic, birdied his first four holes.