Woods leads as Irish pack stay close in Abu Dhabi

Tiger Woods made a charge on the third day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship today to set himself on course for a second successive victory.

A bogey-free third-round 66 takes Woods into the final 18 holes on 11 under par and level with England's Robert Rock, who birdied the last two holes for a matching score and total.

Rory McIlroy, playing with Woods for the third day in a row, shot 68 and is tied for third with Scotland's Paul Lawrie, Italian Francesco Molinari and Swede Peter Hanson, who had a best-of-the-week 64.

Graeme McDowell is on seven under after a 68, while Gareth Maybin and Padraig Harrington both shot level-par 72s to finish on six and four under respectively. Michael Hoey carded a 69 to leave him on one under.

Woods ended more than two years without a victory at the limited-field Chevron World Challenge in California last month. None of the world's top four were there, but they have all been present for the first leg of the European Tour's Middle East swing, and still the 36-year-old American has shone brightest over the opening 54 holes.

Resuming in joint fourth place, he sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the first - just after McIlroy had done the same - and then matched the Ulsterman's two on the short seventh.
McIlroy had three-putted the previous green, but then almost holed-in-one after Woods had hit his tee shot to five feet.

Slipping as he drove off the ninth tee was a moment of alarm for the 14-major winner, but he avoided the water down the right, parred the hole and then turned on the style with further birdies at the 10th, 12th and 14th.

His fourth of a back-nine 32 came when he found the green at the par-five last in two and two-putted.

There were an amazing 24 changes at the top of the leaderboard on the day and at one point eight players were level.