Sergio Garcia & Rod Pampling top leaderboard

Sergio Garcia and Rod Pampling are tied atop the leaderboard at the Buick Invitational. However, Tiger Woods has made that position a lot less comfortable than normal.

Garcia and Pampling each shot a 4-under-par 68 on Saturday and have a one-shot lead over a hard-charging Woods at the $5.1 million event.

At 11-under 205, the leaders are trailed by a stroke by Woods and Nathan Green. Green, who is from Australia, shot a 69, but it was Woods who made up the most ground.

Woods shot the best round of the day, a 5-under 67. He was seven strokes out of the lead when the round began, but aided by a back nine 32, made up six shots.

"I didn't start off hitting the ball well, but got it around from there with a lot of good shots," said Woods, who hit eight of 14 fairways. "I felt like I really controlled my golf ball out there and at least I put myself into position going into (the final round)."

Phil Mickelson, who was leading the event at 11-under on the 11th hole, was 1-over on the back nine and settled for a 69 to finish two shots behind the leaders.

"I had a chance to go really low," Mickelson said. "But a couple of mistakes late in the round brought me back to a couple of shots behind."

Pampling almost didn't get a share of the lead. He made birdie on the 10th hole to get to 11-under, but then a bogey on 11 brought him down. He made birdie on 11, but again gave it back on the next hole. He grabbed a share of the lead when he sunk a four-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

"Even if you are playing bad, you have to be patient to hopefully improve," Pampling said. "It's less frustrating on the golf course, at least you are giving yourself a chance."

Second-round leader, Brandt Jobe stumbled to a 3-over 75 on Saturday to finish with Mickelson and Jesper Parnevik at 9-under.

Woods and the Buick Invitational seem intertwined. He has won the event three times and never finished out of the top 10 in eight appearances.

"I just feel comfortable with the lines out here on this golf course," Woods said. "Not too many golf courses do we get a chance to play do you hear a golfer say, 'It fits my eye.' Well this is one of those courses for me."

This is the season debut for Woods who spent six weeks away from golf, including a period of 24 days where he didn't touch a club.

That long of a break might concern most professional golfers, but Woods wasn't fazed by the lengthy hiatus.

The world's No. 1 golfer looked like he was in mid-season form instead of coming back from a break that began after the Target World Challenge on December 11.

Woods made five pars before his first birdie on No. 6. He gave the birdie back on the next hole with a bogey, but then was flawless the rest of the way, carding five birdies after the miscue.

Woods has won his debut event three times in his career. In 1997 and 2000 he won the Mercedes Championship and in 2003 he won the Buick Invitational after returning from surgery on his left knee.

Garcia is playing his third event in four weeks, which included travel to Hawaii and the Middle East. Garcia finished seventh at the PGA Tour's season opening Mercedes Championship and was second at last week's Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in the United Arab Emirates.

The travel hasn't worn down the 26-year-old Spaniard.

"My game is pretty good and that's the most important thing," Garcia said. "I had a great week last week, so I don't regret going there."

There are 15 golfers within five shots of the lead and Woods said he will have to be aggressive.

"This leaderboard is so bunched and there's so many guys there with a chance," Woods said. "I can't sit there and think all I need to do is beat him and I've won the tournament."