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SAN DIEGO (California) - TIGER Woods closed in on his 62nd PGA Tour title by stretching his lead to 10 strokes midway through Sunday's final round at the Buick Invitational.
Eight ahead overnight, the American world number one piled up two birdies and one bogey to reach the turn in one-under-par 35.
That put him at 19 under overall, well ahead of playing partner Stewart Cink and Japan's Ryuji Imada.
United States Ryder Cup player Cink was one over for the round after nine holes and Imada three under, after 11.
With the bad weather forecast for Sunday not materialising, the only question on the lips of fans crammed around the South Course at Torrey Pines was the margin of Woods's victory.
The game's leading player has never lost a tournament when leading by more than one shot after 54 holes.
This is the eighth time has gone into the final round of a PGA Tour event with a cushion of more than six strokes, and he has won by at least five shots on all seven previous occasions.
His comfort level is huge at Torrey Pines where he is bidding for a fourth successive title and sixth overall.
Woods, playing in his first tournament of the year, made the best possible start in bright sunshine when he rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt at the par-four first.
Moments later, his lead was stretched to 10 when his two playing partners, Cink and fellow American Joe Durant, both bogeyed the hole.
Although Woods narrowly missed a seven-foot birdie opportunity at the fourth, he birdied the par-five sixth after hitting his third shot to four feet.
He collected his first bogey at the par-four seventh, after missing the fairway to the right off the tee, but did well to save par at the ninth when he got up and down from rough behind the green. -- REUTERS
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