Woods' round started badly and only got worse More photos from Olympia Fields

The American, who has never won a Major coming from behind on the last day, said he could not get to grips with the greens.

"They looked faster, but putted slower and I made nothing," he commented, after recording his highest US Open score as a professional.

"Now I need to shoot a great round and get some help from the leaders. But you never know."

Woods' round started badly when he was put off by a whistle in the crowd when taking his second shot at the first.

After shooting a long stare at the offender, a clearly frustrated Woods went on to card a bogey, the first of six in the round.

I've put myself in a great position for tomorrow Current leader Jim Furyk

"It was frustrating," he said. "It came on my downswing, which made it worse. If it was my backswing I could have stopped."

Woods lies 11 shots behind leader Jim Furyk, who carded a three-under par 67 to break the tournament record for 54 holes.

The American is 10 under par, three shots ahead of second-placed Stephen Leaney.

"I don't think I've sat on a three-shot lead on a Saturday night and I've put myself in a great position for tomorrow," Furyk said.

"I got into this position playing the golf course with a certain strategy and I'm going to do the same tomorrow."

Vijay Singh endured a frustrating day, despite matching playing partner Furyk in the early stages.

The Fijian had a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th that would have given him a share of the lead but it took him three to get down for an unlikely bogey, and he followed that with further dropped shots at the last two holes.

"There's no reason to make three bogeys on the last three holes," Singh said. "I'm a little disappointed at the way I finished. But there's a lot of holes to go."

Tom Watson dropped out of the running after a five-over 75 in which he missed eight fairways.

"Very simply I didn't put the ball in the fairway, and when I did put the ball in the fairway I didn't put it on the greens," said Watson, the 1982 US Open champion.

The surprise of the day came from Australia's Stephen Leaney, who shot a 68 to lie three shots off the lead.

The 34-year-old has been been to qualifying school five times and still does not have his tour card.

"Obviously, it's a major championship and a very big deal. I've never been here before and I'm not going to kid myself," said Leaney, who is 7-under for the tournament.

"This is a major and everyone gets nervous - I'm nervous on every shot, but I've learned to control it in the past.