Baker,
with a 69, took his total to nine-under-par to lead by a stroke from Woosnam,
last year's runner-up Vijay Singh, the 1998 US PGA champion from Fiji, and Germany's
Alex Cejka.
European number
one Montgomerie, launching his third successive bid for a sixth win of the year,
built a two-stroke lead before falling apart and slipping down the leaderboard.
Montgomerie ran up a triple-bogey
on the 10th, fluffing two chips and missing a two-foot putt and then went into
the lake on the 16th but still finished only two strokes off the lead after a
72 in a group which included Spanish rookie Sergio Garcia and the second round
leader Jose Rivero of Spain who slumped to a 75.
Woosnam chipped in on the 17th to share the lead but then bogeyed the last. But
the Welshman was happy with his best putting round for five months as he took
only 24 shots on the green after changing his putting grip from the third.
Baker has not won since his Ryder Cup year and Woosnam has been out of the winner's
enclosure for two and a half years.
"It's
been a long wait since 1993," said Baker, "and I hope I can putt as well in the
final round as I did then when playing with Woosie (Ian Woosnam).
"I couldn't believe it when I saw him on
the leaderboard. I thought he'd missed some holes out!"
Montgomerie, despite his woes, is still on course in his drive for a seventh successive
European number one title. ends
