Tournament host Tiger Woods overcame a shaky start to his third round at Congressional Country Club to set up a final-day showdown with defending champion Anthony Kim at the AT&T National in Maryland.

World number one Woods shot a level-par 70 to remain in the lead heading into the fourth round at 10 under par. It was a shared lead, though, as fellow American Kim posted a 68 to reach the same mark and make a date in the final pairing in Bethesda tomorrow.

Woods' bid to win the PGA Tour tournament he hosts in the Washington DC area to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation had suffered a series of setbacks having begun the day with a one-shot lead at 10 under par.

Woods had led Australia's Rod Pampling with Kim in third place at eight under at the start of the day. But, playing with Pampling in the final group out at the par-70 Blue Course and in front of big crowds celebrating American Independence Day, the world number one immediately hit trouble, finding left rough off the tee at the 402-yard, par-four first hole.

His second shot failed to reach the green, landing in more rough between fairway and bunker and his third shot left him with a 10-foot par putt which Woods did not convert, tapping in for bogey to fall into a shared lead with Pampling at nine under.

Pampling then moved into the outright lead with a birdie at the par-four third to go to 10 under, one shot ahead of Woods, who won the Bay Hill and Memorial tournaments earlier this year.

Then the Australian bogeyed holes four and five while Woods bogeyed the par-four sixth before recording his first birdie of the day with a three at the eighth.

An eagle three followed at the 602-yard ninth courtesy of a 366-yard drive and a 25-foot putt, but Woods then double bogeyed the par-four 11th, hopping from left rough to front-left greenside bunker to left greenside bunker before three-putting for a six. Woods got back to level for the day with a birdie at the par-five 16th on his way to what was a disappointing 70 for the 14-time major winner.

Woods and Kim are a shot clear of American duo Michael Allen, the 50-year-old US Senior PGA champion who shot a 65, and Cameron Beckman, whose 66 got him to nine under.