The former world No1 began his third round just three shots off the pace amid hopes he could make a serious challenge after missing the cut at the Open.
Woods, whose world ranking has plummeted to 266th, has recorded three missed cuts, a withdrawal and just one top-25 finish in eight starts on the 2014-15 PGA Tour. The inconsistencies which have dogged his game struck again in Virginia.
It left the 39-year-old nine behind leaders Troy Merritt and Kevin Chappell, who are on 14-under-par, and in a tie for 42nd place.
He was wayward off the tee from the start, hitting drives on either side of the fairway and it was only fine recovery play which saw him level par for the day until dropping a shot on the eighth.
Further shots were lost when he double-bogeyed the 11th and bogeyed the 13th, but Woods showed some fighting qualities with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th.
After finding the water hazard on the final hole, Woods played a recovery shot to salvage a bogey and at least finish on a high.
Merritt and Chappell are, however, both looking for their first PGA Tour wins.
Merritt set an early target with a course record 10-under-par 61 to go 14-under, a figure matched at the end of the round by Chappell, who shot a 67 for his 199 total at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville.
One shot back on the crowded leaderboard is reigning Players Championship and Scottish Open winner Rickie Fowler after a 68.
Another stroke back were Americans Charles Howell III (67) and Jason Bohn (67), Sweden’s David Lingmerth (68) and 23-year-old Kim Meen-whee of South Korea (67).
Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa, who led by one after the second round, shot a 71 and was tied for eighth at 11-under along with Englishman Justin Rose (65), Carl Pettersson of Sweden (64) and American Bill Haas (64).
Merritt, making his 96th PGA Tour start, carded five birdies in a row out of the gate, then added a four-birdie run from the 12th in his brilliant round of 11 birdies and a lone bogey.More..
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