By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE - An out-of-sorts Tiger Woods battled to a share of the lead after the third round of the Australian Masters on Saturday, as his rivals failed to capitalize on an off day for the world number one.

Woods, who held a three-stroke lead going into the third day, seemed set to charge on after draining a monster birdie putt on the par-four second.

However, he bogeyed the third and 11th on the way to an even par 72, finishing joint leader with Australia's Greg Chalmers and James Nitties with a 206 total. Woods got his other birdie of the day at the par-five 14th.

"I was very fortunate, somehow I found a way to shoot even par today because it certainly should have been a lot worse than that," Woods told reporters at Kingston Heath Golf Club.

"It was a bad warm-up today, I didn't hit the ball very good on the range and the golf course wasn't very good either.

"I hit some really good shots out there as well but also I hit some just terrible golf course. It was just either-or."

The leaders hold a two-stroke lead over Australia's Cameron Percy and Woods's playing partner, Jason Dufner of the United States, at the A$1.5 million ($1.4 million) co-sanctioned event.

New Zealander Tim Wilkinson and Francois Delamontagne trailed by a further stroke.

After struggling with his driver on Friday, Woods again battled with his tee-shots in the third round, the American finding bunkers on the sixth and eighth, and the fairway of the 10th when he was playing the ninth.

However, the 14-times major champion was saved by his putter, draining a 20-foot par putt on the par-three eighth.

NERVES

Joint second overnight with Chalmers and Nitties, stocky American Dufner notched four birdies in six holes on the front nine to snatch the lead after the eighth, but surrendered it immediately with a bogey on the ninth.

He fell back after two more dropped shots on the back nine.

Chalmers also prized a one-stroke lead with his second successive birdie at the par-four ninth, but nerves appeared to get the better of the Australian in the back nine.

After six straight pars, Chalmers cracked on the par-four 16th, steering a five-foot putt to save par past the lip of the hole and falling back into joint second with Woods and Nitties.

Both Nitties and Chalmers missed gettable birdie chances on the par-four 18th, leaving Woods pleased to still cling to a share of the lead.

"I played myself into a tie for the lead, I could have easily played myself straight out of the tournament," Woods said.

Australia's Adam Scott crawled back to five strokes off the leaders after shooting a 69, but former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy is all but out of contention after shooting a one-under 71 to be 10 off the pace.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)