KEY POINTS:
Australian Aaron Baddeley burst out of a four-way tie today to grab a two-stroke lead over Tiger Woods going into the final round of the US Open golf championship at Oakmont.
The 26-year-old Baddeley made back-to-back birdies from the 12th to seize the lead, then bounced back from bogeys at 15 and 16 with a birdie at the last to post an even-par 70 and a two-over-par 212 total.
Woods, playing a near-perfect round from tee to green, took five on the 443m 18th for his only bogey in a rock steady round of one-under-par 69 to stand at four-over 214.
New Zealand's 2005 Open champion Michael Campbell shot a 75 for a 225 total.
"You always dream of playing in majors and having a chance to win going into Sunday," Baddeley said.
"I can only focus on what I'm doing. Today I felt really calm out there and peaceful. My game felt nice. I wasn't trying to press or do anything special."
Officials watered the hard, sloping greens before the start and the demanding Oakmont course played two shots easier than it had on Friday, with the average score 74.68 on Saturday.
Conditions allowed players to shoot more aggressively to the greens and the flow of birdies and bogeys made for a see-saw struggle on the leaderboard.
Second-round leader Angel Cabrera of Argentina and American Bubba Watson duelled early in the round, with Woods among a pack of players tight on their heels before Baddeley surged ahead.
After missing the cut in his two previous Opens, Baddeley said he was excited about playing in the last group with Woods as he goes for his first major.
"It's perfect, it's exciting," he said.
"He's the best player in the world but I feel like I'm playing nicely."
Knotted in third place at five over par, three strokes off the pace, were Britons Paul Casey (72) and Justin Rose (73), Canadian Stephen Ames (73) and American Bubba Watson (74).
A shot further back were Americans Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk, the 2003 champion, and second-round leader Cabrera, who finished with two bogeys for a 76.
Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who won last year's Open at Winged Foot, fell out of contention with a 78 that put him 12 shots back.
Watson held the lead briefly before posting a triple-bogey at the 436m, par-four ninth hole, where he rushed fluffed a shot in the green-side rough then rushed his follow-up shot.
Woods had birdies at the third and fourth holes and saw numerous other birdie putts that could have shot him into the lead slide just past the cup.
The world No 1, chasing his 13th major title, was the last in the field to post a bogey on the warm, humid day.
At 18, Woods hit his tee shot into a bunker, blasted out to the fairway and placed his third shot on the green. He left his 6m par-putt on the edge of the hole.
"I didn't drop a shot today until 18, which was nice and that's what ultimately you want to have at a US Open," Woods said.
"I hit a lot of putts that just grazed the edge, but I'm right back in the mix."
- REUTERS
