Leaders Not Out of Woods Yet

Tiger Woods is not in the lead through three rounds of the American Express Championship at Sotogrande, Spain--but he’s within striking range.

Woods is in a group of five players one shot behind leaders Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and American Chris Perry, who are at four-under-par 209 after Saturday.

Jimenez shot a two-under 69 as he bids for his third victory this season--and his third near his home in southern Spain. Perry shot a one-over 72.

Woods, trying to become the first player in 46 years to win four consecutive events, shot a 70 and made long birdie putts on the last two holes. He is tied with Tom Lehman (71), Hal Sutton (69), Nick Price (70) and Justin Leonard (72). Five others are only two strokes out of the lead.

Woods, who dropped a 25-foot birdie putt on 17 and an 18-footer on 18, is brimming with confidence.

“It helps [to] know I can [win] and have been doing it,” he said. “This golf course is not going to give up a lot of low scores . . . so the two birdies at the end were very big.”

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Bruce Fleisher and Bruce Summerhays share the lead through three rounds of the Senior Tour Championship at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Fleisher, the tour’s money leader with more than $2.3 million earned, came through with a six-under 66 that included only one bogey, while Summerhays’ four-under 68 included an eagle.

The two, who shared the opening-round lead, are at 10-under 206, two strokes ahead of George Archer and three in front of CBS sportscaster Gary McCord, who shot the tournament’s low round of eight-under 64 Saturday.

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Maria Hjorth tied her career low with an eight-under 64 and took a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the $800,000 Mizuno Classic, a U.S. LPGA event held at Otsu, Japan.

Hjorth had three birdies on the front side and five on the back for her third 64 of the season and a 10-under 134 total.

Japan LPGA standouts Aki Nakano and Fumiko Muraguchi had 66s and were at 136.