KAPALUA, Maui >> It’s closing time for Gary Woodland.

Since 2011, Woodland has either held or been tied for the 54-hole lead in a stroke-play event on six previous occasions and has yet to convert any of those into a PGA Tour win. He will get his seventh opportunity today in the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions after fashioning a 5-under 68 that included a 64-foot putt for eagle at the 15th that broke a tie with Rory McIlroy, who also fired a 68 on Saturday to sit alone in second some three shots off Woodland’s 17-under pace.

Marc Leishman is another stroke back at 13 under after shooting a 68 himself. He qualified for this winners-only tournament by capturing the CIMB Championship in October. And who did Leishman share the 54-hole lead with before going on to win? One Gary Woodland, who did win a tournament in 2013 with the 54-hole lead, but it was a modified Stableford event.

And that’s hardly comparable to the tournament Woodland will try to win this weekend, considering the quality of the field and the importance this tournament holds on tour. He addressed his previous struggles after Saturday’s round.

“I think the difference is I’m a completely different player than I have been in the past,” Woodland said. “I’ve obviously been in the position multiple times. It’s nice to build off those and take certain things out of them.”

He began the third round with a three-shot advantage, playing in the final pairing with six-time tour winner Bryson DeChambeau. He’ll hold the same advantage today, but this time his playing partner is four-time major winner McIlroy, who has no problems closing out wins. Woodland was unaware McIlroy had drawn even at 14 under with a birdie at 14. He was just trying to play his own game.

The twosome was still tied when Woodland stood over his long putt at the par-5 15th that tracked steady and true into the bottom of the cup with the pin still in for eagle. Later, he had a birdie putt at the 18th die in the left side of the cup to extend his advantage to three shots and give him the opportunity to win the biggest event of his career.

“It was a nice eagle there on 15,” Woodland said. “It was nice to see a long putt go in. And then finished with a birdie. That was a big putt on the last hole. It will be nice playing with Rory because one, he plays really quick, we hit similar distances so we can club off each other.

“And he’s a great guy, so that definitely helps (today). I’ve got to go out and play aggressive. I’m playing well enough where I don’t have to play conservative. I can attack and continue to trust what I’m doing and should be good. His game is as good as anybody’s. When he’s on his game, he is probably one of the best players, if not the best player in the world. He really doesn’t have a weakness.”

Woodland is fairly fortunate that McIlroy isn’t sitting a little closer. After birdieing the 14th, the Northern Irishmen, who now lives stateside, parred in. Normally, that might not be so bad, but two of those holes were par-5s, including the iconic 653-yard 18th, where McIlroy made a small mess of it.

“A little bit, a little bit,” McIlroy said when asked if that four-hole stretch was frustrating. “I thought if I could birdie two of those last four holes and I can post 16, that would be nice. That pin on 18’s very tricky. So yeah, I think I could have been a couple better, but I’ve still got myself in a final group the first event of the year, so I’m in a good place.”

So are Leishman, DeChambeau (70—12 under) and Xander Schauffele (68—12 under). Any of these four golfers trailing Woodland could come from off the pace to win, especially given Woodland’s past penchant for blowing final-round leads.

“It’s nice to be playing well this early in the year,” Schauffele said. “Usually, I’m sort of a midyear kind of guy, so we’re trying to learn how to peak at the right moments.”

So is Woodland. And today would be a good time to do it.