Hitting a fairway wood is probably the most difficult thing to do from a fairway lie in golf. The lack of loft and narrow margin of attack angle make it easy to miss hit due to thin or heavy shots.
First, think of that ball sitting on a short tee made of grass. There is a little cushion there.
Second, find the bottom part of your swing and position the ball just before it. Be very specific here – -there isn’t much room for error.
Third, use as much loft as you can!! I see way too many mid and high handicap players trying to get 3-wood into the air (trying to lift the ball) when they could have more success with a 5-wood. I carry both and only use the 3-wood when 5-wood doesn’t work for that shot. The ration of 5’s to 3’s is probably 4 to 1 for me.