Tiger - subdued but still in lead (Allsport)

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Tiger Woods woke up just in time to keep a firm grip on the United States Open in New York.

After seeing a five-stroke lead cut to two by Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, Woods birdied two of the last four holes.

His level par 70 sends him into the final round on five under, with Garcia (67) one under and Mickelson, who bogeyed the last, joint third with Jeff Maggert one further back.

Nick Faldo had earlier scored a 66 - best round of the week and his US Open career. It lifted him from 20th to eighth, but still seven adrift of Woods.

Described as a "carthorse" by former coach David Leadbetter in a recent magazine article, Faldo produced a sparkling third-round 66 at the United States Open in New York - and lifted himself into contention.

He put the performance in the same class as his closing 67 in the 1996 Masters, a day which saw him come from six behind Greg Norman to win his third green jacket and sixth major title by five shots.

And while Faldo, a month away from his 45th birthday, reflected on the lowest round both of the week and his entire US Open career, Tiger Woods was failing to put the championship out of everybody's reach.

With seven holes of his round to go, Woods was three clear, as he was at the start, and still very much the odds-on favourite. But he was two over par for the day and looking far from invincible for once.

His position was as good as it was only because playing partner Padraig Harrington, the only player within seven strokes of the world No 1 at halfway, managed only 38 for the front nine and then bogeyed the 435-yard 11th as well to fall alongside Faldo in sixth place at two over.

The closest challengers to Woods now were Sergio Garcia, Jeff Maggert, Phil Mickelson and Australian Robert Allenby, all at level par.

"I hope I can do it again, but if I don't it was a helluva day," Faldo added. "That was as good as my heyday."

Three weeks ago he did not even know he would be playing in the event, but then came a special invitation from the United States Golf Association to compete at Bethpage Black.

At 7,214 yards it is the longest course ever used for the championship, not exactly what Faldo, left far behind in the power game these days, would have chosen.

But what he has always had is determination and it served him wonderfully well as he hit back from a second-round 76 that had dropped him to 20th place.

Shaving 10 strokes off that left Faldo, endearing himself to the crowd with his "I Love New York" cap, wishing he could walk to the first tee and keep the momentum and the mindset going.

"It would be great to play like that again. I missed one fairway and one green," he added.

"Yesterday was out of my league because the rain made it so long, but I got back into it today. I hit it so well on the range and pushed myself to hit good shot after good shot."

Faldo began his run with a 35-foot putt for a two on the 205-yard third and thanks to another birdie at the sixth turned in 33.

He birdied the 11th, dropped one at the next - at 499 yards the longest par four in US Open history - but then birdied the long 13th, holed from nine feet at the 161-yard 14th and after bogeying the next rolled in an 18-footer two holes later.

Even though he covered the first six holes in one over par - and a very ragged one over at that - Woods' overnight three-stroke lead grew because Harrington failed to rise to the occasion in the way he hoped.

When the world No 1 and Masters champion, chasing the second leg of what would be golf's first-ever Grand Slam, bogeyed the fifth, the Dubliner double-bogeyed it.

Harrington had already had to work hard. Two 18-foot putts saved him pars on the first two greens and after bogeying the next he two-putted from around 80 feet on the 517-yard fourth.

Garcia, widely criticised for suggesting after his second round that Woods receives special treatment, pitched to five feet on the first and made it, then after a bogey at the third birdied the fourth and eighth.

The Spaniard's comments centred over the decision to continue play on Friday when many parts of Bethpage Black were becoming flooded.

He said he thought the action would have been called off if Woods was out on the course at the time, but it smacked of sour grapes and a little immaturity, following as it did a round of 74 that left him seven adrift.

His words had not escaped the attention of the fans. One shouted out: "Stop whining and play some golf", another asked him "How's the weather?"

They were also happy to draw attention to his habit of endlessly re-gripping the club before he hits.

"Hit it," yelled one and from the other side of the fairway came: "While we're young!"

There were some good rounds from other Europeans as well. Jesper Parnevik had a 69 for seven over and Bernhard Langer and debutants Luke Donald and Thomas Levet all returned 70s to remain eight over.

Darren Clarke could do no better than 72, however, and slipped to 10 over, while playing partner Jose Maria Olazabal, out in 41, managed 75 and was 13 over along with Thomas Bjorn (73).

Paul Lawrie had his third successive 73 for nine over.

Woods was on in two at the long 13th, but another indication that this just wasn't his day came when he three-putted for par.

Harrington holed from eight feet for his first birdie since the fourth - the other par five - and climbed back to one over, four behind and fifth spot.

Mickelson, who had been five over after six holes, made a 20-footer at the 17th for his sixth birdie in the last 11 - and with it cut Woods' lead to two.

When Garcia birdied the 16th seconds later to join Mickelson, a tournament which had shaped up earlier to be a one-man show was alive with possibilities again.

Woods finally managed his first birdie of the day with a curling 15-footer on the 15th.

It took him three ahead of Garcia again and four clear of Mickelson, who bogeyed the last after taking an iron for safety off the tee and hitting it into the left-hand rough.

Harrington matched Woods' birdie to be up to joint third.

Woods safely parred the last to get out of the day with a level-par 70 and a four-stroke lead over Garcia, with Mickelson and Maggert one further back.

Collated third-round scores (US unless stated, par 70):

205 Tiger Woods 67 68 70

209 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 68 74 67

210 Phil Mickelson 70 73 67, Jeff Maggert 69 73 68

211 Robert Allenby (Aus) 74 70 67, Billy Mayfair 69 74 68, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 70 68 73

212 Nick Faldo (Gbr) 70 76 66, Justin Leonard 73 71 68

214 Tom Byrum 72 72 70, Scott McCarron 72 72 70, Davis Love 71 71 72

215 Mark O'Meara 76 70 69, Charles Howell 71 74 70, Dudley Hart 69 76 70, KJ Choi (Kor) 69 73 73

216 Nick Price (Zim) 72 75 69, Craig Stadler 74 72 70, Jay Haas 73 73 70, Scott Hoch 71 75 70, Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 76 67 73

217 Vijay Singh (Fij) 75 75 67, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 72 76 69, Ernie Els (Rsa) 73 74 70

218 Frank Lickliter 74 76 68, Steve Stricker 72 77 69, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 72 76 70, Luke Donald (Gbr) 76 72 70, Thomas Levet (Fra) 71 77 70, David Toms 74 74 70, Hidemichi Tanaka (Jpn) 73 73 72, Jeff Sluman 73 73 72, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 72 72 74, Rocco Mediate 72 72 74

219 Kevin Sutherland 74 75 70, Corey Pavin 74 75 70, Jason Caron 75 72 72, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 71 76 72, Paul Lawrie (Gbr) 73 73 73, Tom Lehman 71 76 72, Steve Flesch 72 72 75

220 Jim Carter 77 73 70, Chris DiMarco 74 74 72, Darren Clarke (Irl) 74 74 72, Peter Lonard (Aus) 73 74 73, Franklin Langham 70 76 74, Brad Lardon 73 73 74, Shingo Katayama (Jpn) 74 72 74, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 71 75 74

221 Kenny Perry 74 76 71, Donnie Hammond 73 77 71, Ian Leggatt (Can) 72 77 72, John Maginnes 79 69 73

222 Tim Herron 75 74 73, Brad Faxon 75 74 73, Greg Norman (Aus) 75 73 74, Craig Bowden 71 77 74, Harrison Frazar 74 73 75

223 Bob Tway 72 78 73, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 79 73, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) 71 77 75, Len Mattiace 72 73 78

224 Kent Jones 76 74 74, Spike McRoy 75 75 74

225 Stuart Appleby (Aus) 77 73 75, Andy Miller 76 74 75, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 75 75 75, Tom Gillis 71 76 78, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 73 73 79

226 Paul Stankowski 72 77 77

231 John Daly 74 76 81

233 (x) Kevin Warwick 73 76 84