Woods in Perfect Place for Repeat

Tiger Woods is two strokes ahead at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open with 18 holes to play, and that’s bad news for the rest of the field.

Woods, the defending champion, moved in front of one of Europe’s toughest fields of the year with birdies on the par-five 15th and 17th holes. He finished with a five-under-par 67 and a three-round total of nine-under 207 heading into today’s final round at Alveslohe, Germany.

The world’s No. 1 player, Woods has won the last 13 tournaments he led after three rounds.

“To be honest, I don’t have an explanation,” he said of his streak. “I just know I would rather be in the lead than coming from behind.”

The entire European Ryder Cup team is playing in the same tournament for the first time since the competition at Brookline, Mass., last year.

Three of those players were tied for second at seven-under 209, including Europe’s money leader, Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, Lee Westwood of England and Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain.

Two others were also at 209--Italy’s Emanuele Canonica, only 5 feet 2 but the longest hitter on the European tour, and Australian Geoff Ogilvy.

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Playing extra holes Saturday in the Colonial at Fort Worth seemed to help Stewart Cink, who took over the lead with two impressive strings of birdies.

Cink was 10 under for the 31 holes he played, moving to 11 under and three strokes ahead of Davis Love III, who had five birdies and four bogeys in his third round of one-under 69.

Forced to play the final 13 holes of his rain-delayed second round Saturday morning, Cink carded five straight birdies for a 64 to move within a stroke of co-leaders Love and David Toms.

In the afternoon, Cink had four birdies over a six-hole stretch--Nos. 7-12 at Colonial Country Club. He took the lead with a long birdie putt at the 402-yard ninth, and followed that with birdies at the 404-yard 10th and the 433-yard 12th. He had only one bogey in his third-round 65.

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Native son Jim Colbert tapped in a six-inch birdie putt on the final hole for a three-under 69 and a two-stroke lead over Dana Quigley after two rounds of the TD Waterhouse Championship at Kansas City, Mo.

Colbert was at 14-under 130. Quigley, with a 67, stood at 132.

Tom Watson, also a Kansas City native, shot a 66 that included his first two eagles on the Senior PGA Tour.

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Annika Sorenstam and Brandie Burton pulled away from a seesawing leaderboard with seven-under 65s to share the lead heading into the final round of the Firstar LPGA Classic at Beavercreek, Ohio.

Sorenstam and Burton are at 13-under 131, matching the tournament record set by Meg Mallon two years ago.

The only other player in double figures under par was Christie Kerr--and she had to hole a 158-yard six-iron on the final hole. She shot a 66 that put her at 10-under 134.