By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent, Augusta

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The cream came rising to the top in the Masters at Augusta on Saturday - and the creamiest of all shares the lead with a round to go.

World number one Tiger Woods, defending the one major title he has left, fired a best-of-the-day 66 including seven birdies to surge to the 11 under par mark after 54 holes.

He is level with Retief Goosen, the South African bogeying the last for a 69, at the top of a star-studded leaderboard.

Goosen is himself the world number four after his victory in Atlanta last week, while third-placed Vijay Singh is ranked seventh in the world and the trio of players joint fourth are respectively the number two, three and five - Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia.

However, world number 11 Padraig Harrington double-bogeyed the last to slide to joint eighth and is now six adrift.

Woods looks in the mood to become only the third player - after Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo - to make a successful defence of the title.

"It was a long day," said the 26-year-old, who was up at 4.15am to prepare for the completion of a second round interrupted by rain on Friday.

He did that successfully with a 69 and then a few hours later, setting off again four behind Singh, he was off and running with birdies at the second and third.

Woods did bogey the fourth, but it was his last dropped shot. Further birdies came on the seventh, 10th, 11th, 15th and, most importantly to him and caddie Steve Williams, the 18th as well from 10 feet.

He thought he needed it to get into the final group and said: "We really wanted that. As soon as my second shot was in the air Steve shouted 'Get in the final group.'

"I feel very comfortable. I've been here before and I look forward to it.

"I hit some good shots and made some good putts. The only one I missed really was a six-footer on nine."

Goosen, reigning US Open champion and with three victories to his name this season against Woods' one, had taken over the lead with birdies at the first three holes of his third round, having earlier completed a 67 with three birdies in the last five.

Singh came back with birdies of his own at the fifth and sixth, but then stalled somewhat and a hook into the water at the 15th and three-putt bogey at the 17th took the edge off his day.

The 2000 winner, four clear when he had finished his second-round 65, could follow it up only with a 72.

Els, having sparkled in the morning with an eagle and three birdies in four holes on the back nine, was the other one in the thick of things for most of the afternoon.

But the inward half did not produce the same results for the double US Open champion. He bogeyed the 10th and 11th and after chipping in at the next also found the trees on the last and bogeyed to fall four behind.

Garcia had a 70 and Mickelson a 68 to keep alive their hopes of a first major title, but they know that Woods is the strong favourite and Goosen is no mean front-runner either.

The 22-year-old Spaniard said: "It's tough, but not impossible. I'm going to try to give it a run."

Mickelson, so close so often, added: "At least I've given myself a chance, but I need to shoot a low round now."

Harrington was paired with Els and his finish was even more disappointing.

Left of the green in two he chipped right across the putting surface and then took three more to hole out for a 72 that dropped him alongside Dane Thomas Bjorn.

Jose Maria Olazabal, partnering with Woods, looked to have fallen right out of the reckoning with a front nine 39. However, he eagled the 13th and birdied the next two for an inward 32.

Faldo is tied for 13th on one under, disappointing after he completed his second round early in the morning in 67 - by five strokes his best round at Augusta since he won his third green jacket in 1996 - for two under.

The 44-year-old followed it with a 73, wasting birdies at the 15th and 16th with two closing bogeys.

Colin Montgomerie, in contrast, birdied his last two holes - although that was the eighth and ninth as he was in the half of the field which began on the 10th as the tournament made up for lost time - and so with a 70 improved to level par.

Darren Clarke birdied the last, but that followed a double-bogey seven on the long eighth and bogeys at the 14th and 15th. That meant a 73 as well for one over.

Paul McGinley is on the same mark after a 71. Partnering Montgomerie, the Dubliner also birdied the eighth and ninth to finish off. Lee Westwood managed only a 74, however, and is down on five over.