Sabbatini started with an eagle at the first

Tiger Woods bogeyed the final two holes to gift Rory Sabbatini the lead at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte.

Joint-overnight leader Woods dropped a shot at 17, then bogeyed the par-four 18th by finding the rough with his second shot, left of the green.

He got up and down from 40 yards but his mistake left South African Sabbatini in front with one round left.

Sabbatini closed on 11-under 205, one ahead of Woods (68), with Vijay Singh and Arron Oberholser two behind.

Sabbatini was one of the few players in the final group not to have trouble at the last, finishing with a 20-foot birdie to tie the Quail Hollow course record with an eight-under 64 in intermittent rain.

But his form comes as no surprise as last week he tied for third at the Byron Nelson Championship and was joint runner-up at last month's Masters.

Sabbatini said: "I just managed to keep the ball in play.

I didn't think we were going to finish and Vijay didn't either, but we got it in somehow Tiger Woods

"The rain slowing the greens up just a touch made it a little easier to be a little aggressive with the putter."

Woods was not the only player to have trouble at the last in the wet conditions.

Singh discarded his shoes and socks to play his second shot from the water, eventually making bogey, while Oberholser dropped two shots after finding the water with his second shot.

And Phil Mickelson rinsed his ball as well, also making double bogey to fall four shots off the pace.

World number one Woods, meanwhile, was fuming at the slow play after he finished the 18th hole in semi-darkness, a few minutes past 2000 local time.

The start of play was delayed by two hours because of nearby lightning, so Woods and Singh did not tee off until 1540.

But he could not understand why it took more than four hours and 20 minutes to play 18 holes.

He said: "That's just ridiculous in twosomes. I didn't think we were going to finish and Vijay didn't either, but we got it in somehow.

"It's like playing under caution all day. No-one ever gave us a green to go."