Campbell and Smail could only manage a seven-under-par 65 in Saturday's fourballs, just one shot better than their impressive foursomes score on Friday, for a 22 under par total of 194.

And Tiger Woods and David Duval could come to regret a sloppy finish that produced only a par five from the players ranked number one and three in the world.

Duval, who claimed his first major in The Open at Royal Lytham this year, sliced his second shot into the pond guarding the green on the 517-yard 18th, before Woods three-putted from 20 feet from just off the green.

"At least we closed the gap a little and we have a chance tomorrow with the more difficult format," Woods said after the American's 63 reduced their overnight deficit from five shots to three.

Home favourites Japan are a shot further back on 18 under alongside Argentina, France and South Africa with Scotland and Wales another shot adrift. Ireland and England are six off the lead on 16 under.

The Welsh pairing of Phillip Price and Mark Mouland carded a superb 62, playing partners England - represented by Ian Poulter and European Tour Rookie of the Year Paul Casey - fired a 63 while the Ireland team of Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley signed for a 64.

Scotland were best placed of the home nations to get even closer to the leaders after Dean Robertson rattled in six birdies in a row from the seventh, but after another on the 15th, they could only manage a bogey five on the 16th where Coltart's approach flew over the green and out of bounds.

Robertson had in fact done well to salvage a bogey after plugging his second into a greenside bunker and failing to get out at the first attempt, but then missed from five feet for a birdie at the 17th and the pair could only par the par-five 18th.

A 66 left them alongside Wales on 17 under and it was Mouland and Price who were the happier of the two teams.

"We need to be within five shots to have half a chance," said Mouland prophetically, the 40-year-old contributing five of his team's 10 birdies and was unlucky to see another slip away on the 14th when his putt horseshoed around the hole and somehow stayed above ground.

"Foursomes is very very difficult and the key is keeping bogeys off the card. Both Phillip and I are pretty steady players so that suits us."

England's hopes looked to have suffered a major blow with a bogey on the eighth, but they rallied strongly, coming home in 30 with Casey firing a stunning eight-iron to six feet on the 517-yard par five 18th for a closing eagle.

"That was a nice way to finish, but we feel we left a few out there again and the bogey on the eighth was very disappointing," Casey said.

"We haven't quite sparked yet so we're still in with a chance if we're only four or five shots back. New Zealand showed that a 66 or even better is possible in the foursomes.

"The greens are so pure that if you get on a roll a really low score is possible."