Phil Mickelson Takes Lead Over Tiger Woods, Nick Watney at HSBC Champions Tournament

Tiger Woods has a large hurdle to overcome if he is to win an unprecedented 17th individual World Golf Championship title in 34 attempts - a hurdle called Phil Mickelson.

Woods was in control of the event, holding off Mickelson, Nick Watney and Lee Westwood, whose blazing 65 in the third round at the Shesan International Golf Club rocketed him up the board. But a mistake cost Woods a stroke on the 11th while Mickelson conjured up a birdie - and one of golf's most enduring rivalries was pitched into another white-hot phase.

Gaining even more confidence in his putting, Mickelson strung together three birdies over the final five holes to turn a two-shot deficit into a two-shot lead over the back nine.

Mickelson finished with a 67 last night after birdying the 18th - three strokes better than Woods. He led by two strokes from his arch-rival who has made the WGC series virtually his own over the years.

Woods failed to make a birdie over the final eight holes for a 70. Woods was level with American Nick Watney, who holed a 15-metre eagle putt on the final hole for a 70.

US golfer Ryan Moore was fourth, three shots off the lead, and Westwood a further stroke back in fifth. His sizzling 65 was equal best round of the day with Australia's Geoff Ogilvy who put rounds of 72 and 74 behind him with an almost faultless display.

There was a New Zealand angle to play, even apart from Mark Brown, whose 1-under par 71 had him in a tie for 39th, and Danny Lee - who started well but who fell away later in his round, hitting a 4-over 76 to go with his 74 and 71 in the first two rounds.

But the in-form Anthony Kim - due to play the US$2m ($2.7m) Kiwi Challenge at Cape Kidnappers this week - was again threatening. Kim was the beaten finalist in the Volvo World Matchplay tournament in Spain last week and is a golfer who can blitz the field when he is running hot.

He came within two strokes of the lead yesterday but went off the boil, finishing with an even-par 72, six strokes off the lead in sixth place.

Kim will compete in New Zealand with Camilo Villegas, of Colombia, who was tied for 22nd after the third round, with a 1-over 73 to go with his 70 and 69 of previous days.

Another Kiwi Challenger participant, Sean O'Hair, was well down the field, in 61st place and Hunter Mahan - the defending champion in the Kiwi Challenge - is not playing here.

Woods' 70 compared poorly with his consecutive 5-under-par 67s , allowing him to join overnight leader Watney (70) on 10-under par, with world No 2 Mickelson returning a 66 to lie a shot behind.

"I got off to a good start and birdied the first hole but, after that, I didn't really make any putts," said Woods. "I had some looks at them and didn't really capitalise on anything but made a putt at nine and, from then on, I hit a lot of good putts and played the last 10 holes in five under."