Choi, who also was one shot out of the lead, didn't make a birdie in his round of 76.
Although Howell caught him with his third birdie in four holes at the 14th, he followed with back-to-back bogeys.
Darren Clarke, in his first strokeplay event for two months, failed to make a single birdie in his three-over 75.
The USGA wouldn't oppose a birdie in similar circumstances Sunday.
Just as they walked off the green, Lee's third consecutive birdie moved her to 10 under, and Jutanugarn's fifth birdie in six holes also got her to minus 10.
Anthony Wall had an eagle and a birdie in successive holes to turn in 32, but consecutive bogeys halted him and he finished with a 67 for second place.
"I missed a couple of birdie putts in the middle but overall not a bad round, " Guan said.
However, Poulter ensured both he and Fisher finished all square when he kept his nerve to roll in a birdie on the next in the fading light.
Miyazato, who briefly shared the lead on one under par, also self-destructed with a double bogey on 17, while Matthew's closest overnight rival, Kim, haemorrhaged shots early on and despite knocking in a couple of birdie putts, was never in contention.
He chipped in for birdie behind the 16th green and two-putted for birdie on the 18th for a 69 to finish alone in second, moving him up to No. 47 to get into Doral.
Stenson, the 2009 Players champion who was two groups ahead of them, made a 3-foot birdie on the fourth, missed from 5 feet on the fifth for birdie, and then rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the sixth to take the outright lead.
Matthew, with six top-10s on the LPGA Tour this season, had a tap-in birdie on the 16th against two dropped shots.
McIlroy squandered early chances against Lowry, who came to life on the back nine, chipping in for birdie at 11 and 12 before an eagle at 13 put him in the driving seat.
CNN: Nike duo Woods and McIlroy humbled in the Arizona desert
Then on the final hole he rolled in a birdie putt to finish on nine-under and claim the tournament by two clear strokes.
Woods hit a fairway metal off the pine needles and into a bunker, blasted out to 10 feet and rolled in the birdie putt to briefly take the lead.
Lee Westwood, who moved his family down the road from PGA National over the Christmas break, rallied over the last five holes by chipping in for birdie, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the 17th and salvaging par after hitting into the water on the par-5 18th.
Two shots behind going to the 18th, Chappell stuffed his approach to tap-in range for birdie.
Spaniard Lara closed with a 74 while England's Wall rolled in a swinging birdie putt on the 18th for a 73.
Weekley's 22-foot eagle chance at No. 1 stopped about 6 inches from the cup before he chipped in for another birdie from behind the third green.
The teenager from Northern Ireland still finished comfortably ahead of Ian Poulter, who was unable to record a birdie and dropped three shots in his 75.
Fisher had actually begun his final round in amazing fashion, opening up with a birdie three at the first and another when he pitched in at the second to lead the field by two shots.
That gave Londoner Wall a chance to tie for second and he did it in dramatic fashion with a 35-foot birdie putt - one which qualifies him for the Open at Hoylake in two weeks' time.
Driscoll did not make the third-round cut, which is the top 70 players, having carded one birdie and two double-bogeys in his opening nine holes.
CNN: Golfer's 'birdies for Boston' bid boosted by freak finish
The Irishman, who will defend his U.S. PGA title later this month, shot a five-birdie, two-bogey 67 in the Ohio rain to lead the tournament on 10-under-par after six-time winner Woods fired a five-under-par 65 to move to seven-under-par -- setting-up a compelling last pairing for Sunday's final round.
He knocked in his 8-foot birdie putt, assumed he was ahead, and then never looked at another board the rest of the day.
应用推荐