Germany's Alex Cejka extended his lead at The Players Championship but will have to deal with Tiger Woods in Sunday's final pairing at TPC Sawgrass. Overnight leader Cejka teed off in the last pairing with England's Ian Poulter with both golfers entertaining thoughts of a maiden PGA Tour victory.

Cejka began at 11 under par, leading Poulter by two strokes with world number one Woods in a tie for 22nd place on four under. By day's end at the Players Stadium Course, The Czech-born German held a five-stroke lead at 11-under with Woods leading a six-man group including Poulter in a tie for second place on six-under. Cejka birdied the last for a third-round 72 while Poulter came away with a disappointing three-over 75.

Woods said: "Just grinding it out. This is basically our fifth major and that's how it's playing. It's hard, it's fast, it's dry and you just have to keep plodding along."

It is the largest third-round lead in the 36-year history of the event but Woods has already overcome the deficit in reeling in Sean O'Hair for victory at Bay Hill in March. He shot a five-birdie, three-bogey 70 some two hours before the leaders finished and was also joined by Henrik Stenson of Sweden, South Africa's Retief Goosen and fellow Americans Jonathan Byrd and Ben Crane.

Cejka birdied the fifth to go to 12 under but when he did slip up, also bogeying the seventh, Poulter failed to capitalise, bogeying the eighth to leave Na in sole possession of second place, only for the American to bogey the 10th and 11th.

Poulter fell further off the pace at the next hole, three-putting on the ninth green for a bogey six to slip to seven-under, and there was more woe for the Englishman at the 11th, ranked second easiest on the course on Saturday, when his second shot from 254 yards out found water to the right of the green.

Poulter made amends from the drop zone 111 yards from the pin when he sent his fourth shot to seven feet from the hole but then missed the par putt to continue his slide. Woods had also found trouble off the tee at 11, and played his second shot from the base of a pine tree left handed with a flipped over iron.

While that paid dividends his third shot from out of position on the right fairway demanded a cut around a tree but Woods' shot never turned back in from the left and he was forced to settle for a bogey six to fall to four under. The setback was short-lived, however, as Woods birdied the 12th and overcame a bogey at 15 with back-to-back birdies at 16th and 17th to get to six under.

The world number one flirted with the rough and the water on his way to the 18th green but got up and down for par and a round of 70. Also moving up the leaderboard was two-time US Open champion Goosen. The South African birdied the 14th and 16th holes to get to seven under but bogeyed the par-four 18th to fall back to six under.

Davis shot a 71 to finish at five under while fellow Englishman Justin Rose shot a 72 to finish his third round on three under, but compatriot Paul Casey shot a four over 76 to finish at one under for the week.