Jim Furyk needed only two holes to double his lead from two strokes to four when the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational third round began at Firestone.
The American veteran parred the first before birdieing the long second to move to 12 under in Akron, Ohio, but with Rafael Cabrera-Bello finding trouble on the first he was four clear of the Spaniard and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen.
Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner Cabrera-Bello needed five shots just to find the green at the par four opener, but did well to hole a nine footer for double bogey and responded with a birdie at the third.
Former Open Champion Oosthuizen was level par through three holes, with Rory McIlroy turning in a three under par 32 to move into a share of fourth on seven under.
The World Number Three from Northern Ireland birdied the second, third and ninth to draw level with Australian John Senden and Korean K T Kim.
Earlier South African Branden Grace, playing with Tiger Woods for the third day running, birdied six of his first ten holes to fire into the top ten.
However, the three-time European Tour winner in 2012 was unable to maintain that run and two bogeys on the way in saw him sign for a 66 – still good enough to climb 27 places into the top 20 and two better than his 14-time Major winning playing partner.
Furyk parred his way to the turn, while Oosthuizen cancelled out a bogey at the eighth with a birdie at the next to remain second – albeit still four adrift.
Cabrera-Bello double bogeyed again at the ninth and an outward 39 saw him drop into a tie for seventh with, amongst others, World Number One Luke Donald, his fellow Englishman Justin Rose and former US Open winner McIlroy.
