With a tiger-costumed supporter, Woods navigates the TPC Boston. (Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff)

NORTON - Electrifying the galleries with a final-round charge, Tiger Woods put a scare into the course record -- and undoubtedly the rest of the field -- with an 8-under 63 in the Deutsche Bank Championship this afternoon.

Woods was 8 under for the day after a sizzling birdie on No. 15, just one shot off the course record with a short par-3 and and a short par-5 remaining. His tee shot on the par-3 16th hit the green and bounced into the rough, a difficult pin cut back and left.

Woods got it up and down, then split the fairway on the 412-yard 17th. But his approach went left and slightly long, with the pin cut right, Woods had to negotiate a difficult putt over a ridge and downhill. The putt slid 6 feet past and he missed the par save to drop to 7 under.

Needing an eagle on the par-5 18th tie the course record, Woods smoked his drive into the fairway, then pumped an iron onto green, but well left of the pin, which was cut to the far right. He two-putted for birdie and settled for a 63 and a 12-under total, with little hope of getting into a playoff.

In fact, Padraig Harrington was tearing up the front nine and is currently leading at 15 under through six holes.

Woods shot 6-under 30 on the front and visions of the course record -- and perhaps a 59 -- filtered throughout the gallery, especially when he made birdie on the par-4 10th. But he knocked his tee shot into the sand on the par-3 11th ("Wrong club selection," he said) and made bogey, slightly derailing his momentum.

"Soft greens, no wind, and pretty benign pins; they'll go low," Woods said, referring to the rest of the field.