Tiger Woods brought wondrous sparkle to decidedly drab surroundings, when sweeping into a three-stroke lead in the £1.2 million Deutsche Bank - SAP Open yesterday. Excited thousands flocked to watch him shoot a third round 68 here on the St LeonRot course, situated beside an industrial estate.

Whatever about its location, the venue produced some remarkable scoring, including a course-record 65 from Nick Price and 66s from Peter Baker and Brian Davis. And though Woods had difficulty in reading the greens, their quality was evident in stunning figures from Davis, who has required only 72 putts for his 54 holes so far.

Darren Clarke heads the Irish challenge after a 69 which improved his position from tied 23rd overnight to a share of 12th place. And while he is seven strokes off the lead, the handsome prize fund would deliver a reward of £20,000 should he hold his present position in the final round today.

Woods had the sort of explosive start that can crush prospective challengers. With wind advantage down the 540-yard opening hole, he took a three wood off the tee for fear of running out of fairway. As it happened, the 318-yard effort left him with a four iron of 222 yards to the green. And he then had the audacity to hole a 40-foot putt for an eagle three.

"I had got myself to six under par and within one stroke of Tiger before he started," said Baker afterwards. "Suddenly, he was three clear after the eagle. I suppose that's what makes him special."

Baker added: "I'm looking forward to the experience of playing with him today. It's going to be difficult, but that's what it's all about. I remember playing with Greg Norman in the Australian Open in Sydney and on the first hole, which was about 330 yards, they called him onto the tee and he waited for the green to clear. That sort of unnerves you a bit."

For his part, the American displayed admirable graciousness in recalling the big contribution which Baker made to Europe's Ryder Cup cause at The Belfry in 1993. Indeed given the excitement he has generated since his arrival here, a reported appearance fee could be seen as money very well spent.

Meanwhile, Ernie Els permitted himself a rare expression of emotion as a birdie putt found the target on the 18th for a round of 70, which was disappointing in the ideal conditions. But it didn't escape Woods's notice.

"Sure, Ernie's a threat," conceded the leader. "With the tournaments he's won, including two US Opens, he's got to be respected. That's why the key for me is to get off to a positive start, like I did today."

Another player who failed to make the progress he anticipated was Sergio Garcia. And his torment on the way to a 71, centred on two holes. An ill-judged second shot found water for a double-bogey at the ninth and he was clearly furious about making the same error for the same result at the last.

Davis saw considerably more of the course than he intended. But his putting saved him, along with a chip-in birdie at the ninth and a 25-footer at the 14th.

He is now reaping the reward of a brave decision in taking five weeks off recently, to consult with his friend and coach, Tony Ziegler, in Orlando. "I was down in the dumps and he really helped me out," said the 24-year-old afterwards. Though Baker is a proven winner, he is without a tournament victory since the Scandinavian Masters of 1993, when he also captured the British Masters. As it happened, he out-scored Woods over the opening holes by starting with three successive birdies, after putts of four feet, four feet and then a 40-footer.

His only bogey came at the sixth, where he was in water. Otherwise, he displayed much of the controlled striking which made him one of the most promising players in Britain, six years ago. That was the last occasion he was this close to the lead entering a final round.

"The big difference has been with my putting," he said. "That was the main weakness in my game last year, when I was playing well from tee to green yet never finished higher than third."

Though Woods was sniffling a little, he seems to have adjusted extremely well to jetlag - certainly far better than his older compatriot Mark O'Meara, who slipped to a 76. Generally, he gave a treacherous course due respect by using three wood or two iron off the tee, but there were also occasions when he unleashed his formidable power.

A case in point was at the 464-yard 12th, which he reduced to a huge drive and what he described as "a little eight iron", to set up one of his three birdies on the back nine. But there was also good fortune in his birdie finish, which was the product of a 30-foot putt, down the slope of the 18th green.

He expects to win from this position, and despite a strong leaderboard, it will be a shock if he doesn't.