Canadian Mike Weir holed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 4-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead yesterday in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass., leaving him in a familiar position with hopes of a better outcome.

It was the 10th time Weir has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, but he has only one victory when leading going into the final round.

Protecting this one might be the toughest yet.

Camilo Villegas ignored the swirling wind and increasingly firm conditions at TPC Boston to shoot 63, putting him in the final group with Weir for perhaps his best chance at his first PGA Tour victory.

Three shots behind were Sergio Garcia (68) and Vijay Singh (69), part of the playoff a week ago at The Barclays that Singh won to move atop the standings in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.

And right behind them were Jim Furyk, looking for his first victory in an otherwise solid year, Ernie Els and Ben Crane, whose 63 came during the morning before the wind hit full strength.

"I've got my hands full," said Weir, who was at 17-under 196.

Ten players were separated by five shots going into the Labor Day finish, the kind of shootout the Deutsche Bank Championship always seems to produce.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson played an ordinary round of 1-over 72 and missed the 54-hole cut, leaving questions about whether he will play next week in St. Louis in the third round of these playoffs.

Weir has been near the top this week since opening with a 61, but he was equally pleased with a 67 considering he struggled to find fairways and hit only half the greens. But he got moving in the right direction with a 7-iron that stopped just under 3 feet away on the 14th, one of only eight birdies on the day.

Conditions were much more difficult, but Villegas and Crane certainly didn't take notice.

"I thought a 66 or a 65 would be a great round," Garcia said. "I didn't see a 63."

Villegas relied on a tip from Singh -- the power of positive thinking. Neither is regarded as a wizard with the putter, but Singh won last week at The Barclays after saying he would stop paying attention to negative comments about his short game and believe he was among the best.

"Starting this year, I decided to tell myself something similar to what Vijay told himself last week, that I'm a great putter and that I'm a lot better than people think and people write," Villegas said. "So today was a good reflection. And if you look at my putting stats for the year, I'm one of the great putters on tour."

• Johnnie Walker Championship: France's Gregory Havret shot a 3-under 70 for a one-stroke victory in Gleneagles, Scotland, and England's Oliver Wilson finished 10th to clinch Europe's 10th and final automatic Ryder Cup spot. After the tournament, Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo used his two picks on Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, a decision that left Darren Clarke off the European team for the first time since 1995. Havret sank a 10-foot par putt to win the title at 14-under 278. Graeme Storm (68) was second, and Peter Hanson (69) and David Howell (71) tied for third at 11 under. Wilson's 69 meant Nick Dougherty needed to win the tournament to have a chance of making the European team for the Sept. 19-21 matches against the United States at Valhalla. Dougherty (70) finished seventh.Faldo picks Casey, Poulter for Europeans