Tiger Woods is seemingly on his way to his 75th US PGA Tour win after pushing to a four-shot lead after the fog-delayed third round of the US PGA event at Torrey Pines.

Woods shot a three-under-par 69 to move to 14-under for the tournament, putting a big buffer between the 14-time major winner and Canadian rookie Brad Fritsch, his nearest competitor.

Fritsch, a 35-year-old rookie on tour, fired a round of 70 to sit alone in second at 10-under-par with double heart-transplant recipient Erik Compton third at nine-under.

Woods has won 49 of the 53 times when he has held at least a share of the third-round lead and failed to convert just once in the past eight years.

After heavy fog delayed the third round, players are already on course for the fourth round, trying to get in as much play as possible in the remaining daylight before a Monday finish.

Australian John Senden, who started the day just four back of Woods, carded a two-over-par 74 to drop to five-under and a tie for 22nd, now beyond the realms of mounting a challenge.

Aaron Baddeley, who made the cut on the number, joined Senden as leading Australian after a 68.

Woods had his old swagger going early in the round, sending laser approach shots into the second and third greens and making simple short birdies.

On the fifth, the 37-year-old pushed his approach right and failed to get up and down to make bogey, but it was just a minor speed hump on his way to dominance.

Woods added another birdie on the sixth and almost holed out his approach on 10 before rolling in another one.

He hunted the flagstick on 13 for another near tap-in birdie before a last-hole bogey cut his lead to just four.

Jason Day (-1) and Scott Gardiner (+1) round out the Australian contingent.