New Zealanders Michael Campbell and David Smail produced a seven-under-par 65 today to maintain their overnight lead after three rounds of the World Cup.
But defending champions Tiger Woods and David Duval closed to within three strokes of the leaders with a nine-under-par 63 in the fourballs, setting up an intriguing head-to-head finish with the Kiwis in tomorrow’s foursomes.
First-time playing partners Campbell and Smail holed out on a total of 22-under-par 194 after three rounds of the 24-team event at the Taiheiyo Club in Shizuoka to move within reach of New Zealand's first-ever World Cup title.
Earlier in the third round, an eagle on the final hole from Ernie Els had given South Africa the clubhouse lead on 18-under 198, a score matched later by Japan, Argentina and France.
The two-times U.S. Open champion hit his approach to within three feet on the par-five 18th as he and partner Retief Goosen carded a nine-under-par 63 for a share of third place.
Woods and Duval, who are aiming to defend the title they won in Argentina last year, made ten birdies as the American pair finally discovered their touch on the slick, undulating greens.
World number one Woods sank six birdie putts and showed his full range of shots, getting up and down in two after bunkering his approach at the par-five third and hitting a nine-iron to within a foot at the 14th hole.
But for their penalty stroke on Thursday, a bogey at the 15th and Woods missing short putt for birdie on the 18th, the U.S. team could have finished the day tied for the lead in the $3 million tournament.
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley are tied for 11th with England, Australia and Norway. Ireland are currently on 16 under par, six shots behind leaders New Zealand.
Third round scores from the World Cup of Golf at the par-72 Taiheiyo Club on Saturday:
194New Zealand (Michael Campbell/David Smail) 63 66 65
197United States (Tiger Woods/David Duval) 66 68 63
198France (Thomas Levet/Raphael Jacquelin) 67 68 63, South Africa (Ernie Els/Retief Goosen) 64 71 63, Japan (Toshimitsu Izawa/Shigeki) 64 69 65, Argentina (Angel Cabrera/Eduardo Romero) 67 68 63
199Spain (Sergio Garcia/Miguel Angel Jimenez) 63 71 65, Denmark (Thomas Bjorn/Soren Hansen) 65 69 65, Scotland (Andrew Coltart/Dean Robertson) 62 71 66, Wales (Phillip Price/Mark Mouland) 66 71 62
200England (Ian Poulter/Paul Casey) 65 72 63, Australia (Adam Scott/Aaron Baddeley) 66 70 64, Ireland (Padraig Harrington/Paul McGinley) 64 72 64,Norway (Per Haugsrud/Henrik Bjornstad) 67 72 61
201Sweden (Niclas Fasth/Robert Karlsson) 62 73 66, Fiji (Vijay Singh/Dinesh Chand) 66 69 66, Canada (Mike Weir/Ian Leggatt) 62 73 66
204Mexico (Octavio Gonzalez/Alejandro Quiroz) 66 71 67, China (Zhang Lian-Wei/Liang Wen-Chong) 67 69 68
206Paraguay (Carlos Franco/Angel Franco) 68 72 66, Netherlands (Maarten Lafeber/Robert Jan Derksen) 70 72 64, Zimbabwe (Mark McNulty/Tony Johnstone)) 66 74 66
214Malaysia (Danny Chia/Periasamy Gunasegaran) 66 80 68
215Philippines (Rodrigo Cuello/Danny Zarate) 67 75 73