Jason Day has continued to climb the leaderboard on a day when Tiger Woods’s even-par 72 was enough to keep the tournament host in the lead at the World Challenge tournament.

Day mixed six birdies with two bogeys and a double bogey in blustery conditions to shoot a 70 – one of just four players to break par – and finish the third round in a tie for sixth place in the elite 18-man field.

However, the Australian was still nine shots behind Woods.

A day after he hit every green in regulation en route to a 10-under par 62 that equalled his own Sherwood Country Club course record, Woods found the going a lot tougher in the difficult conditions.

Woods notched the last of his four birdies at the par-4 18th, balancing four bogeys as he built a 54-hole total of 11-under par 205 and maintained his two-stroke cushion over fellow American Zach Johnson.

Johnson briefly took a one-stroke lead after a birdie at the ninth, but two-double bogeys — at the par-three 12th and 15th — kept him from applying more pressure.

He, too, birdied 18 to cap an even-par 72 for 207.

Bubba Watson was alone in third after a 69 for 209.

Last week’s Australian Open winner Rory McIlroy shot a 68, an impressive low round of the day, but was still 13 shots off the lead after his struggles in the first two rounds.