Tiger Woods Holds 3-Stroke Lead After Dominant Tour Championship Saturday

Tiger Woods is one round from earning his first PGA Tour win since 2013 after shooting a 65 Saturday at the Tour Championship.

The superstar finished Round 3 at 12 under par, good enough for a three-stroke lead at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose are tied for second at nine under.

While he needs help Sunday to win the FedEx Cup title, Woods controls his destiny in the year's last tournament.  

The 42-year-old was on fire from his first swing Saturday, posting birdies on six of his initial seven holes. He entered the day tied with Rose at seven under but was up two strokes by the end of the first hole.

Woods was nearly flawless while hitting fairways and greens in regulation in each of his first five holes.

His long putt on No. 1 and perfect approach on No. 5 showed how well he was playing:

Even when he made mistakes, such as when he hit into the sand on the sixth and seventh holes, Woods bounced back with outstanding shots to post birdies:

Justin Ray of Golf Channel noted Woods' effort in each aspect of the game:

A bogey on No. 9 set him back, but his 30 on the front nine was the day's best score. That was enough to give Woods a four-stroke lead on Rose.

His starting run drew attention as he looked like a dominant golfer again:

There wasn't as much excitement on the back nine, but Woods stayed ahead of the field.

The lead grew to as many as five strokes before a Tiger bogey on No. 16 allowed Rose to close the gap to three with a birdie on the same hole.

Woods finished the back nine with an even 35 that featured just one birdie and one bogey.

While the finish was relatively disappointing, Ray noted the success Tiger has had in these situations:

Woods will shift focus to winning his first tournament in five years with a strong effort Sunday, but fans can keep an eye on what others are doing in regard to the FedEx Cup title.

If leader Bryson DeChambeau stays outside the top 15, Rose falls from second to sixth or worse and the rest of the top six doesn't shoot up the leaderboard, Woods can move from 20th to first and take the $10 million prize.