Love Finishing Like a Champion

What started out as the Year of the Tiger could end up as the Summer of Love.

What seemed like a lock all year--or at least since Woods’ overwhelming victory at the Masters in April--suddenly came into doubt at the Tour Championship on Saturday.

Davis Love III, one of four players tied for the lead at eight-under-par 203 after three rounds at Champions Golf Club in Houston, can not only catch Tiger Woods for the money title, he has an outside shot at the player-of-the-year award.

“If I go out and play 18 good holes of golf [today] and stay focused, a lot of good things could happen,” Love said after fashioning a 69 on a day when the wind gusted in excess of 20 mph.

“If I go out there thinking about all the good things that could happen, I’m going to play terrible,” he said. “All I can do is try to win, not watch the leaderboard.”

If Love wins the $720,000 first prize and Woods finishes 11th or worse, Love would win the money title with $2.08 million. Woods shot a 75, and was at 212, alone in 19th place.

A victory would be Love’s third this year, including the PGA Championship. Woods has four victories, including the Masters. PGA Tour members vote for player of the year.

“It’s hard not to vote for Tiger,” said Faxon, tied for the 54-hole lead with Love, David Duval and Bill Glasson.

“But if Davis wins this tournament. . . . It’s hard to say he’s not a contender.”

After two days of perfect playing conditions, wind not only whipped across Champions in the third round but came from a different direction. Suddenly, just breaking 70 became a great score and the field bunched up.

“It was a struggle out there today,” Love said. “The wind was totally different. It was really hard, not the same as yesterday.”

Eleven players in the field of the top-30 money winners were within four strokes going into today’s final round, well within striking distance in the season-ending event.

Mark Calcavecchia, Scott Hoch and Jim Furyk were two strokes back at 207, Jesper Parnevik was at 208 and Loren Roberts, Steve Elkington and Andrew Magee were at 209.

Love managed a share of the lead despite a double bogey on No. 11 when he drove into the trees and then twice hit trees trying to get back to the fairway. He compounded his woes with a three-putt bogey on the next hole.

“The wind was amazing,” Love said. “You could hit a good shot and it would get knocked right out of the air.”

To illustrate how differently the course played, Love said he hit a nine-iron into No. 1 on Friday and a five-iron Saturday. And he used a three-wood for his second shot on the 551-yard 13th hole in the second round and a seven-iron in the third round.

Love bounced back from his stumble through Nos. 11 and 12 with birdies on the next two holes to shoot a two-under 69.

Glasson and Tom Lehman each shot 68, the low rounds of the day.

Duval, like Love, has a lot more at stake than just the huge first-prize check. He’s trying to become the first player to win three consecutive starts since Nick Price in 1993.

His 70 on Saturday also had three bogeys in it, balanced by four birdies.

“I certainly am going to try to do my best to win this tournament tomorrow,” Duval said. “It just so happens I will be trying for three in a row. It’s just crazy circumstances, that’s all.”

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The U.S. LPGA team won three matches and tied four others on the second day of the Nichirei International tournament in Ina, Japan.

The Japan LPGA team won only two of the nine matches as the Americans took an overwhelming 12 1/2-5 1/2 lead in the three day competition.

Gail Graham and Terry-Jo Myers combined for a 64, the day’s best score, as they beat Kaori Higo and Natsuko Noro by two strokes.

Jane Geddes and Cindy Figg-Currier overwhelmed Toshimi Kimura and Kumiko Hiyoshi with a five-shot victory in their four-ball, stroke-play contest.

Akiko Fukushima and Kaori Harada, who had the only victory for the Japanese on Friday, won again Saturday with a 67, beating U.S. Women’s Open champion Alison Nicholas and Lisa Hackney by two strokes.

The 18 golfers will compete in individual head-to-head stroke play today.