Els maintains two stroke advantage

Ernie Els stayed on track for a maiden World Golf Championship title with a four-under-par 68 in the WGC-American Express Championship third round on Saturday.

The world number three, chasing his first victory since the PGA Tour's Memorial tournament in early June, ended another day of wildly fluctuating weather two strokes clear of the field.

South African Els, who would replace Tiger Woods as the game's second-ranked player by winning this week, mixed five birdies with a bogey to finish on 15-under 201 at a rain-sodden Mount Juliet.

"I've got to be happy with the score I shot, I grinded out a 68," said the 34-year-old Els after playing through bright sunshine, driving rain and gusting winds.

"I was a little off here and there but I got the ball up and down when I needed to.

"I'm in a good position and I worked hard to get where I am. I made some better shots at the end there, on 17 and 18, and hopefully I can take that into tomorrow."

Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, after a bogey-free 66, was alone in second place with British Open champion Todd Hamilton, Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Britain's David Howell a further shot back in a tie for third at 12 under.

American Hamilton returned a 69 while Harrington, urged on by his home galleries, and Howell carded matching 66s.

Champion Woods, a doubtful starter for the tournament after straining his shoulder last week sleeping awkwardly on a flight to Orlando, returned a second successive 70 to lie seven off the pace.

The eight-times major winner, bidding for his third successive WGC-American Express Championship title and fourth in all, was one over for the day after nine holes but picked up three shots after the turn to climb into a share of eighth place.

"I'm going to need some help tomorrow and I understand the weather is supposed to be terrible," said the 28-year-old American.

"But I'm still seven shots back, which is a long way back, especially when Ernie is playing the way he is."

Els, two strokes ahead overnight following his brilliant 64 on Friday, stayed in front with birdies at the par-five fifth and par-five eighth, where he sank a 20-foot putt.

The big-hitting South African faltered, though, at the 426-yard ninth, pulling his tee shot into the left rough on his way to a bogey-five.

That slipped him back to 12 under, and level with Bjorn and Harrington, before he hit back at the very next hole.

The three-times major winner got up and down from a greenside bunker at the 569-yard 10th to pick up his third shot of the day before holing a 21-foot birdie putt at the par-three 11th.

He then set up his final birdie at the par-five 17th, reaching the green in two, to forge two clear at 15 under.

Earlier, Britain's Darren Clarke posted the lowest round of the day, reeling off eight birdies for a 65 to surge up the leaderboard.

Starting out 10 strokes behind Els, the 36-year-old made the most of the receptive greens to finish tied for eighth at eight-under 208.

"All in all, that was a very good round," said Clarke, the only European player to have won a World Golf Championship event since they were introduced in 1999.

"Those were tough conditions out there and the wind was picking up all day."

The tournament is scheduled to end on Sunday but organisers are ready for a Monday finish because of expected bad weather.

"If conditions tomorrow prevent the completion of the fourth round, play will be extended to Monday," organisers said in a statement on Saturday.

Local forecasts predict strong gale force winds and heavy rain for Sunday afternoon.

The 68-strong field will be sent out in groups of three instead of two on Sunday morning for the final round, with a two-tee start from 0815 local (0715 GMT).

Els was scheduled to tee off at 1005 (0905), in the company of Bjorn and Howell.

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