At 18, he already has all the shots. He also has that much-sought-after length off the tee and a surgeon's precision with his irons. And, oh yes, he also is handy around the greens.

But recent Fox Chapel High School graduate Adam Hofmann has something else ... he's got that walk, that strut as he strolls down the fairway, the kind normally reserved for those who play on the PGA Tour.

"I am confident in my game," Hofmann said, flashing an assured, but not cocky, smile.

And, heading into the final round of the 54-hole Pennsylvania Amateur today at Longue Vue Club, Hofmann has something else -- his name is atop the leader board in a tie with Nathan Smith, who won the event in 2002 just down the road at Oakmont.

Hofmann, who will head to Vanderbilt in the fall and plays out of the Fox Chapel Golf Club, shot a round of even-par 70 yesterday to complement a 66 on the first day. At 4-under 136, he is tied with Smith, 29, a Ross resident and Brookville native who was the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, starred at Allegheny College and played in the 2004 Masters.

Hofmann and Smith, who eagled his first hole en route to a 69 yesterday, are one shot ahead of Waynesburg native and Penn State golfer Robert Rohanna, who fired a 67 in his second round in the morning before the putting surfaces hardened and temperatures rose.

Nathan Sutherland, the 18-year-old darling of Day 1 who carded a 63 Monday -- which included a 29 on the back --to grab a three shot lead, fumbled his way to a 76 yesterday and is three strokes back of the leaders in a tie for fifth.

Hofmann has played well the first two days, but, to hear him tell it, he could have gone lower. In truth, he scrambled to shoot 70 with birdies on the final two holes yesterday. Hofmann's round began on the eighth hole, and, as he stood on the tee box of the sixth hole (his 17th of the day) he was at 2 over.

"I knew what I had to do," he said. "I have a lot of confidence in my game and said to myself, 'Just hit it where you are supposed to. Take this thing shot by shot and do what you have to do.' "

He did exactly that the final two holes, making birdie at the 390-yard par-4 sixth and then doing so again on the seventh, a 323-yard par 4 which is, traditionally, Longue Vue's easiest hole.

Among the players within striking distance, Smith is the one with the most measurable pedigree in big-time events.

That said, Rohanna has a chance if Hofmann or Smith slips.

Rohanna is fresh off a trip to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and already has earned a spot in the U.S. Amateur later in the year.

Rohanna masterfully navigated Longue Vue yesterday, even as he was still getting accustomed to the course.

"I never played this course before my practice round, and, when I did play my practice round, I didn't get a full round in," Rohanna said.

"That is the thing with this course, it is one of those places where you can really use local knowledge to your advantage. Coming here on the second day, I felt a lot more comfortable than I did on the first day. In the final round, I'd just like to keep that going."