Woods limps, yet soars with eagles

LA JOLLA -- Tiger Woods, playing like Walter Hagen as he limped like Walter Brennan, added more time capsule moments to an already remarkable career Saturday when he hobbled down the back nine to incredibly seize the 54-hole lead at the 108th U.S. Open.

Woods, favoring a sore left knee, was five shots off the lead at Torrey Pines after bogeying the par-four 12th hole when he began a stretch of long-to-be remembered golf drama that ended with him rolling in a 40-foot eagle putt on the finishing hole to take a one-shot lead into today’s final round.

“Just trying to get by,” Woods said afterward. “I didn’t hit the ball well. I didn’t warm up well today.”

By the back nine, though, you needed an extinguisher to cool him off.

Woods has never lost a major championship after holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead. He has never won a major title coming from behind -- and now he doesn’t have to to win this one.

He shot a one-under-par 70 and stands at three-under 210 as he homes in on his 14th career professional major.

He leads Lee Westwood, who is trying to become the first Englishman since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the U.S. Open. Westwood also shot a 70 and is at two-under 211.

“It would be great to follow in his footsteps,” Westwood said of Jacklin. “And obviously the reason I practice every day is to get into this position and try to win major championships.”

Rocco Mediate, who let a three-shot lead slip away on Saturday’s back nine, shot 72 and is two shots behind. Geoff Ogilvy and D.J. Trahan are four shots back at one over.

Where do you start with Woods?

Not even his compatriots can understand it.

After Woods finished his round, Mediate infiltrated the media area and posed his own question.

“Are you out of your mind what you’re doing out there?” Mediate asked Woods. “Come on.”

His game, at times, seemed on the precipice of collapse.

Woods couldn’t hit a fairway off the tee to save his life -- finding only six of 14.

He crushed twisting tee shots and then recoiled from pain surging from a knee that was surgically repaired April 15. Until Thursday, Woods had not played a competitive round since the Masters in April.

“It’s more sore today,” Woods said of his knee.

He said the pain “grabbed” him on many of his tee shots.

“But it’s always after impact,” he said, adding “ . . . if pain hits, pain hits. So be it. It’s just pain.”

Woods was one over par, seemingly exhausted and out of gas when he knocked his tee shot at the par-five 13th into the weeds.

No way he comes back from that, right?

Woods whacked a second-shot five-iron 210 yards past the pin to the back of the green and then rolled in an immense eagle putt.

“I’m guessing 50, 60 feet,” he said.

Woods punctuated his wake-up call with machine-gun fist pumps.

“It’s all spontaneous,” he said of his reaction. “That’s it. I can’t tell you what’s coming. It’s just one of those emotional things.”

He missed a fairway, found a greenside bunker and made a bogey on the 14th, seemingly losing momentum again.

After two pars, he found trouble again at the par-four 17th, his second shot landing on a steep slope in the greenside rough.

Woods, having to take a staggered stance, flopped a high shot that one-bounced into the cup for a birdie.

Woods was so shocked even he started laughing.

“Pure luck,” Woods later said.

He finally found a fairway with his drive on the 18th hole, but his second shot to the 573-yard finishing hole was followed by another painful wince as Woods watched his ball land on the green.

He then made his second eagle in six holes.

So who is going to stop Woods now?

Will it be someone in the field, or Woods’ knee?

Will it be Westwood?

Every 38 years or so an Englishman wins the U.S. Open -- you could set your Big Ben to it.

Westwood’s best finish at a U.S. Open was a tie for fifth place in 2000 at Pebble Beach. He finished only 17 shots behind the winner that year -- Woods.

Mediate is 45, a likable journeyman who has long suffered from back problems. He had to sweat through a sectional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, just to earn his way to Torrey Pines.

Mediate is trying to become the oldest U.S. Open champion, surpassing 1990 winner Hale Irwin, who also was 45.

One man not likely to chase down Woods is 36-hole leader Stuart Appleby, who shot eight-over 79 and is eight shots back at five-over 218.

Nor is it going to be hometown favorite Phil Mickelson, whose five-over 76 on Saturday included a quadruple-bogey nine at the par-five 13th.

He stands at nine-over 222, tied for 47th, and comfortably out of contention.

The nine was the highest score Mickelson has ever carded in 18 U.S. Open appearances, but not his first quad on No. 13 at Torrey Pines.

His last one?

“I was 8 years old,” he said.

Mickelson, who grew up in the area, dreamed of the day the U.S. Open would come to Torrey Pines, but this isn’t what he had in mind.

He may have put too much pressure on himself.

“It’s possible, sure,” Mickelson said. “This is something I wanted a lot and I just didn’t play well this week.”

Woods didn’t think he was playing well either, but he kept chugging, just hoping he could end the day at even par.

“And then all of a sudden things started turning,” Woods said.

Saturday was nuts and it might take something really crazy now to swing the momentum.

Woods knows it, and so do the contenders.

“It’s going to take a ridiculous round by one of us to beat him,” Mediate said.

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chris.dufresne@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

U.S. Open

Third-round leaders at Torrey Pines South Course. Par 71:

Coverage begins at noon, Ch. 4

*--* Name 1 2 3 Total Par Tiger Woods 72 68 70 210 -3 Lee Westwood 70 71 70 211 -2 Rocco Mediate 69 71 72 212 -1 Geoff Ogilvy 69 73 72 214 +1 D.J. Trahan 72 69 73 214 +1 Hunter Mahan 72 74 69 215 +2 Camilo Villegas 73 71 71 215 +2 Robert Allenby 70 72 73 215 +2 M. Angel Jimenez 75 66 74 215 +2 Robert Karlsson 70 70 75 215 +2 *--*