Tiger Woods,with a renewed swagger in his step,was poised to cap a turbulent year on a high note after maintaining a four-shot lead in Saturday's third round of the Chevron World Challenge. Seeking his first tournament win since the 2009 Australian Masters,the former world number one recovered from a faltering start to fire a four-under-par 68 at Sherwood Country Club. Boosted by a three-birdie run on the front nine and two more in the last three holes,Woods closed in on his fifth victory at his own event by posting a 17-under total of 199. He struck a superb eight-iron approach at the par-four last to within a foot,sparking huge roars from the gallery watching from the natural amphitheatre below the imposing clubhouse. His playing partner,U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland,was alone in second after carding a 68 with Englishman Paul Casey (69) a further four shots back in third. "I'm excited about tomorrow because of the way I've been playing," said Woods after putting himself in prime position to complete his first wire-to-wire victory since the 2006 WGC-American Express Championship. "I'm excited how I've been hitting the golf ball and how I've been managing my game around this golf course." Woods has never lost a tournament in which he has led by at least three strokes going into the final round and he has coped well this week on Sherwood's lightning-fast greens. "I thought I hit the ball a little bit better than I did yesterday. The greens were tough and a few more difficult pins today so they were tough to get at," Woods said.
