WOODSTOCK, Ga. (AP) – Considering all that went wrong for Tiger Woods in the American Express Championship, he had no trouble finding the good news Saturday.

“I got in the clubhouse,” he said. “And I still have the lead.”

Despite a double bogey on the 16th hole and an aggressive charge by Vijay Singh, Woods walked off the Capital City Club in the position where he thrives – owning a 54-hole lead – and with a chance to win for the fifth time this year.

Woods made par on the final two holes for a 1-under 69 and was two shots ahead of Singh going into the final round of a $6 million World Golf Championship that suddenly is packed with drama.

The final pairing includes Woods, at 8-under 202, who desperately needs to win the $1.05 million prize to capture the PGA Tour money title for a record fifth straight year.

Joining him is Singh, who leads the money list and is about $475,000 ahead of Woods.

They are not the best of friends, and even have a little history between them.

Singh’s former caddie wrote “Tiger Who?” on the back of his cap when Woods and Singh squared off in the Presidents Cup three years ago, a match that Woods won with ease. He still talks about that match when he speaks at clinics.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Woods said. “There are probably four guys that have a chance of winning.”

Singh made that possible with a 6-under 64, the best round of the tournament.

“I could have gone lower, but 64 is a great number for me,” Singh said. “It’s going to be a good boost for tomorrow.”

Tim Herron recovered from a double bogey when his tee shot slammed into a portable toilet left of the ninth fairway. He birdied three of the next four holes, finished with a 67 and was only three shots behind at 205.

Herron will be paired with K.J. Choi, whose 68 left the South Korean at 206.

“It’s always fun to play with Tiger,” Herron said. “But there’s probably less pressure, to be honest.”

Woods is 29-2 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead. The last time he lost one was three years ago down the road at East Lake in the Tour Championship.

“It’s not easy going out there with the lead because you know everyone is coming at you,” Woods said. “But if I shoot the same score they do, I win.”

Woods has not lost a PGA Tour event when leading after 36 holes since the 1999 Byron Nelson Classic, and the American Express appeared as though that trend would continue with little resistance.

He had a five-shot lead, was belting his new driver and holing his share of putts.

“I just made two mistakes I don’t normally make,” Woods said, referring to a three-putt on No. 8 and making bogey with a sand wedge in his hand on No. 11.

The Crabapple course was as easy as it has been all week – an average score of 70.7 in the third round, more than three strokes below Friday’s round.

Unlike the first two days, the brick-hard greens actually held well-struck shots, and the pins were more accessible. The result was more birdies and fewer complaints.

“Did it rain last night?” Paul Casey asked jokingly after his 66. “It’s suddenly playable.”

No one took advantage quite like Singh.

Singh was aggressive from tee-to-green, picking up occasional birdies as he tried to chip away at the lead. For nine holes, he wasn’t getting anywhere.

Woods made two 18-foot birdie putts, and when he nearly drove the 379-yard seventh and got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie, his lead was six.

But it all started to change when Woods and Singh were a mere 150 yards apart – Woods lipping out a par putt from 6 feet on No. 8, while across the fairway, Singh was daintily raising his hand on the 10th green to acknowledge the gallery after another birdie.

Singh birdied the next two holes and was 7 under through 12 holes, and even missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 13th.

Woods, meanwhile, watched his lead fluctuate throughout the mild, breezy afternoon well north of Atlanta.

He backed off his par putt on No. 8 four times because a yellow jacket was hovering over his ball, then made his first bogey. A poor chip on No. 11 led to another bogey, and suddenly his lead was down to one shot.

Woods recovered with back-to-back birdies and restored his margin to four shots when Singh three-putted for bogey on the fringe.

Then, suddenly, Singh closed the gap again.

Woods’ tee shot on No. 16 plugged into the left bunker, and he only managed to blast out some 65 yards into the first cut of rough. His approach plugged in another bunker, and he got that out to 60 feet.

He had to make an 8-footer just to save double bogey.

Up ahead, Singh rolled in his eighth birdie of the day on No. 17 to again cut the lead to one stroke, although he found the right rough on the 18th and made bogey.

“I was happy to have a two-shot lead because I saw that Vijay got back to 7 (under), Woods said. “If I missed that putt on 16 for double bogey, all of a sudden I’m tied for the lead. Instead, I have a two-shot lead.”

Considering his reputation as a closer, Woods had no complaints.

AP-ES-10-04-03 1711EDT