Tiger Woods fired a sizzling 65 to take a one stroke lead going into the final round of the Buick Open at Warwick Hills.

The world number one was eight off the pace after an opening 71 but Friday's 63 got him back into the tournament and another fine round that saw him make eight birdies and a single bogey has put him in line for a 69th PGA Tour win.

Woods was handed the advantage when Michael Letzig, who was leading by one, double-bogeyed the closing hole.

However, it will be the second time this year Letzig has partnered Woods in the final round of a tournament, and he will be hoping to do better than at Memorial when Woods' 65 took him to victory while Letzig slumped to a 75.

Dropped shot

Woods picked up a hat-trick of birdies from the second and added another at the seventh in a round punctuated by some erratic driving, leading to his sole dropped shot at the next.

But birdies at 12, 13 16 and another from 34-feet at the penultimate hole saw him surge to the top as overnight leader John Senden could only manage a 71.

"Today was a scoring day," Woods said. "I hit it good on the front nine, on the back nine I hit some loose shots and was just scrambling and trying to keep pace because those guys were just making birdies everywhere.

"You know, this golf course is pretty short. So you have to take advantage of the holes, and I did that, but unfortunately I didn't do it the correct way.

"It was on the fairway - someone else's fairway - twice on the back nine. So it was an interesting back nine, but I came out well."

Senden slump

Woods leads by one on 17 under par from Letzig with Senden a shot further back after the Australian failed to capitalise on an eagle at the opening hole.

He played the next 17 holes in one over par and will partner Matt Bettencourt in the final round after the rookie matched Woods' 65.

Vaughn Taylor is another player in the mix alongside Bettencourt three off the lead following a 69 while Charles Warren, Jimmy Walker and Aussie Greg Chalmers are one further back.

England's Greg Owen, the only European to have made the cut, sits on nine under.