The Players Championship at Sawgrass, with Tiger Woods at the top, is tightening up as the players head into the final holes of the richest tournament in the United States.

Woods, the world's leading player, had the lead with -14 under par until the 15^th hole when Jeff Maggert, most assuredly an underdog in this tournament, surged into a tie at -12 after Woods faltered at the 15^th.

Prior to the 15^th hole, Woods was leading by two strokes heading into the back nine at the Stadium Course with longtime rival Sergio Garcia, 49-year-old Maggert, Swedish rookie David Lingmerth and Scotsman Martin Laird bunched at 11-under.

Woods entered the final round tied for the lead with Garcia and Lingmerth, a confident position for the American who has won 52 of 56 times he held or shared the lead in tour events after three rounds.

The world number one, with girlfriend Lindsey Vonn watching, looked on his way to improving those impressive figures as he hit green after green and rolled in three birdie putts to offset one bogey.

Woods had one bogey at the par-four sixth hole when he drove into the right rough and had his second shot knocked down by a palm tree but that was his first bogey in 20 holes at the Stadium Course and he came right back with a 14-foot birdie putt from off the fringe at the seventh to return to 13-under, according to Reuters.

Garcia and Lingmerth both balanced a birdie with a bogey on the front side, while Maggert posted three birdies against a bogey through 10 holes. Laird surged up the leaderboard with six birdies in a bogey-free round through 16 holes.

Woods was aiming for a tour-leading fourth victory of the year and to become the sixth player to win multiple titles following his 2001 victory at the Players Championship, commonly referred to as golf's fifth major, said the Reuters report.

Henrik Stenson of Sweden was three shots off the pace at 10 under par after 10 holes.