For Lee Westwood and Greg Owen, though, their dream of a first major title - and Europe’s first for six years – turned into a bogey-filled nightmare.

And to complete their misery they were on the 18th green when play was halted at 6.40pm, but under the rules were not allowed to putt out and they, like the other 10 players left out, will resume at 10am local time.

The Nottinghamshire pair had been joint eighth overnight, but Westwood was six over for the round and down to 22nd, Owen 10 over and a lowly 47th.

The evening interruption was the second stoppage. Just before joint third round leaders Mickelson and Love resumed there was a 39-minute hold-up.

For the second day running Woods opened with a bogey and when he dropped another shot at the third that appeared to be that in his attempt to add the crown to the Masters and Open.

But he then saved a remarkable par on the seventh, chipping in from deep rough after taking a penalty drop from bushes, and birdied the eighth, 14th, 17th and 18th.

He went through the green at the 650-yard 17th – the longest hole ever in the majors – and chipped dead and after going long again on the 554-yard last he made a 10-footer.

Having been 113th after his opening 75, 62nd after a 69 – he made the cut only with a last-green birdie – and 20th following a Saturday 66 the world number one had shown his class again.

But the smart money was on him coming up a couple of strokes shy in his bid to add the trophy to his Masters and Open titles.

Woods said: “I worked my butt off to try and get back in this thing. I had a bad start again, but I grinded my way back and now it’s just wait and see. You never know.

“I never got off to a good start all week, but I hung in there and fought back every day.”