Tiger Finds a New Friend, Keeps His One-Stroke Lead

Tiger Woods is piling up the birdies, attracting the big crowds and making believers out of PGA Tour veterans such as Ed Fiori.

Woods, playing in only his third tournament as a pro, had five birdies Saturday in a three-under-par 67 and held a one-stroke lead over Fiori after three rounds of the Quad City Classic at Coal Valley, Ill.

“That kid can play. He’s the real deal,” said Fiori, whose 67 left him one shot behind Woods’ 10-under 200 total. “He’s a nice kid and a nice golfer who is going to be around for a long time. I just hope to keep him from winning his first tournament tomorrow. I’d love to beat him.”

Woods, 20, was pleased with himself for the first time in the tournament he led by one stroke after 36 holes.

“I felt more comfortable with my swing. I drove the ball well,” Woods said Saturday, a far different tone than when he said he hadn’t played very well in the first two rounds. “Now, I have to go out there tomorrow and play good golf and it will pay off for me.”

A victory is worth $216,000 and a two-year tour exemption.

Fiori, 43, and Woods were playing in the last twosome of the day, with about half the gallery of 25,000 dogging them.

Fiori, a Texan with three victories since joining the tour in 1978, watched as tee shot after tee shot from the powerful Woods went 50 to 75 yards past his ball.

“It doesn’t bother me. I’m probably the shortest shooter on the tour,” said Fiori, who also shot a 67. “I didn’t try to play his game, only tried to play my game.”

They got along well together.

“We shot the bull all around the course. He’s a good guy with a big heart,” Woods said of Fiori. “It was neat listening to his stories of playing with Snead and Boros.”

Fiori said he wasn’t bothered by Woods’ big following.

“The crowd was pretty considerate. It was the media people in the way all day,” he said.

Woods learned on the course that his coach, Butch Harmon, was taken to the emergency room of Trinity Medical Center after an allergic reaction to food. A nurse said Harmon was not seriously ill.

U.S. Open champion Steve Jones and Jay Delsing were three strokes behind at 203.

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Davis Love III walked off the fourth green after going 2-up in his match at the Presidents Cup, turned to his partner Fred Couples and said, “Seven in a row.”

Not only didn’t Love and Couples get their personal record to 7-0 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, but suddenly a second consecutive U.S. victory over the International team was no longer the sure thing it seemed a day earlier at Gainesville, Va.

Rebounding from a sloppy start on Friday, the International team took the last two matches of morning better-ball play for a 3-2 victory, then won four of the five alternate-shot matches in the afternoon.

The 7-3 thumping trimmed the U.S. lead to 10 1/2-9 1/2 going to today’s 12 singles matches.

With all of their pairings shooting under par in afternoon alternate-shot play, the International team suddenly found the putting touch it lacked in the earlier matches.

“That’s just been the difference today for our team,” Nick Price said after he and Mark McNulty defeated Kenny Perry and Justin Leonard, 3 and 1, in alternate shot. “We’re holing out a little better,” Price said. “Sometimes the momentum swings on one or two putts.”

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Mike Hill, Mike McCullough and Bobby Stroble all bettered par and pulled even with rookie Jim Wilkinson after the second round of the Bank One Classic at Lexington, Ky.

Wilkinson, who turned in his best round on the Senior PGA Tour with a 66 Friday, slumped to a 73 and was at five-under 139 after 36 holes on the windy Kearney Hill Links.

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Tammie Green shot a three-under-par 69 and extended her lead to three strokes after the third round of the LPGA Safeco Classic at the Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, Wash.

Green is at 12-under 204 through 54 holes, three shots better than Val Skinner and three-time champion Patty Sheehan.