Jim Furyk birdied four of the last five holes to shoot a four-under par 66 and grab a two-stroke lead over charging Tiger Woods after round three of the World Golf Championships Invitational.
Furyk, putting from off the 17th green, sank a 25-foot birdie bid to take the lead and, after twice backing away, dropped a six-footer at 18 to stand on 13-under par 197 after 54 holes at Firestone Country Club.
Woods also shot a 66 to stay two strokes off the pace. Cancer-conqueror Paul Azinger, justifying his US Ryder Cup captain's selection, birdied five of the last six holes for a 65 to stand on 202 along with Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke.
Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and South Africa's Ernie Els at 203 after 66s with Germany's Bernhard Langer and Australia's Stuart Appleby at 204.
Sunday's final round was advanced to morning tee times due to predicted afternoon thunderstorms. A two-hour rain delay last year forced Woods to finish his last round in darkness.
Woods, 25, will complete five years as a professional Sunday by becoming the first player to crack the 25 million-dollar mark in career earnings. Clarke was doing his best Seve Ballesteros imitation and amazed to be among the leaders.
"My position is flattering considering the way I have been playing," Clarke said. "I'm eight-under and I feel like I should be eight-over.
"My short irons have been great. Some of the up and downs Seve would be proud of. A mixture of horrible and really good. I have no idea what's coming next."
Montgomerie charged into contention for his first title on US soil with birdies at the first, third and fifth holes and added a birdie at the 16th in a bogey-free round.
Two-time US Open champion Els had back-to-back birdies on the second and third as well as the 16th and 17th holes.
US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa opened with an eagle and three birdies in a row and birdied the eighth and ninth to make the turn at six-under par 29, matching the front-nine record set by Tom Weiskopf in 1977.
Goosen fired a 64 to stand on 205.
"I hit my irons very close but the real difference was in the putting," Goosen said. "I had it going well. I had been struggling for the last few weeks but finally started to hit some good shots."
Four birdies in a row starting at the eighth hole allowed Langer to briefly seize a share of the lead. He faded with a double-bogey at 13 and bogeys at 15 and 16, but finished with two birdies to rescue a 68.