Atwal is now four-under 212 for 54 holes and will need a brilliant final round for a decent finish. Atwal bogeyed the third and fourth and dropped another stroke on the eighth after a birdie on seventh.
On the back-nine, he birdied the 10th but gave away bogeys on 15th and 18th.
Webb Simpson, who lives close to the course, took the lead with a round of 69 that put him at 14-under 202. He led Ryan Moore (68) and DA Points (69) by one shot.
They were followed by Rory McIlroy (66) who made the big move yesterday. McIlroy's 66 saw him move to 12-under 204 alongside Nick Watney (72).
Ten players were separated by 10 shots going into the final round. Two years ago McIlroy made the cut on the number and then shot 62 on final day to win the title.
