Tiger Woods is poised to extend his remarkable record in World Golf Championships tournaments by winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational for an eighth time.
The world No.1 failed to replicate his Friday heroics but his dominance continued at Firestone Country Club as he backed up his second round 61 with a two-under 68 on Saturday to be 15-under and seven shots clear of the field.
Swede Henrik Stenson (67) was the closest pursuer at eight-under while American Jason Dufner (67) was a short further back.
Masters champion Adam Scott made a small push up the leaderboard to remain the best Australian with a round of 66 leaving him tied ninth, but 12 shots behind Woods.
Woods has already claimed four victories this season and he already 17 career wins in 41 starts in the lucrative elite World Golf Championships series tournaments, though he last won at Firestone in 2009.
With 78 career wins so far, the 14-time major winner is also closing in on Sam Snead’s all time US PGA tour win record of 82.
His seven shot buffer in the tournament is his equal fifth biggest career 54-hole lead and the 37-year-old has converted an astonishing 52 of the 56 times he has led or shared the lead after three rounds including 22 of the last 23 times.
Following on from round two’s blitz Woods birdied the opening two holes, dropped a shot on the ninth, but gained it right back on 10.
When he chipped in from deep greenside rough on 13 for another birdie the crowd started to believe he could do no wrong but he proved human with a bogey on 14 after he collected a few spectators with a wayward pitch.
Another bogey on the 16th looked set to give a few challengers the faintest of hopes heading to Sunday but a birdie on 17 kept his sizable lead.
Scott raised faint early hopes of a big charge with three birdies in his opening four holes but cooled off with a run of six straight pars.
Chip in birdies on the 11th and 15th holes kept his name climbing up the boards before a final hole bogey took a little gloss off a classy round.
“Nearly bogey free today, just dropped that one on the last, and that’s good golf around here,” Scott said.
“Anything in the 60s you have to be pretty pleased with, there was a lot of good stuff out there.”
The other three Australians continued to struggle with Jason Day shooting a 72 to drop to eight-over and a tie for 57th in the 73-man field.
Brett Rumford was 70th at 12-over after a 72 while Australian PGA Championship winner Daniel Popovic shot his best score so far with a 76 to climb off the bottom rung of the leaderboard into 72nd at 22-over.
