Flesch Keeps Two-Shot Lead Over Woods

It didn’t take Steve Flesch long to get an idea of what it’s like to play against Tiger Woods.

On the first hole, he stood to the side with his arms crossed as Woods rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to trim the deficit to one stroke. After they both hit driver on No. 2, Flesch found himself standing 63 yards behind Woods in the fairway.

At the end of the day, however, Flesch was ahead where it mattered.

He held his own against the No. 1 player in the world Saturday, making four big putts in the middle of his round for a six-under-par 66 that enabled him to maintain a two-stroke lead over defending champion Woods in the National Car Rental Classic at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

“I hung in there today,” Flesch said. “It was a blast playing with Tiger. It was everything I anticipated, and I look forward to doing it tomorrow.”

Flesch, who has not won in 93 previous starts on the PGA Tour, was at 22-under 194 and will take at least a share of the lead into the final round for only the second time in his career. He finished second last year in New Orleans, and tied for fifth in the Western Open in July.

Jeff Sluman had a 67 and was five strokes back at 209, but he will be in the final grouping today with Flesch and Woods, who had a 66.

In the group behind will be three at 200--Duffy Waldorf, who had a 69, and Glen Day and Bob May, who each had a 66.

“Obviously, he didn’t get run over,” Sluman said of Flesch. “But this is a 72-hole tournament, not a 54-hole tournament.”

Still, a two-stroke lead over Woods beats the alternative. Woods has won 24 times on tour in his career, and he has come from behind in only five of them.

On a warm and breezy afternoon at Disney, Woods managed to keep a couple of impressive streaks going--105 holes without a bogey, and 42 rounds at par or better. But it wasn’t easy, especially with the pace of the greens and his fighting some loose swings throughout the day.

Flesch fits the recent profile for giving Woods all he can handle--no majors, not many PGA Tour victories and nothing to lose.

May was that guy in the PGA Championship, matching Woods with a 31 on the back nine at Valhalla before losing in a three-hole playoff. Grant Waite stepped in at the Canadian Open, pushing Woods the entire final round before falling one incredible shot short.

Next up is Flesch, a left-hander from Kentucky who managed to not get too caught up in his first pairing with Woods.

“It’s easy to get sucked into what he’s doing,” Flesch said. “I watched every shot he hit. It’s impressive how far and straight a guy can hit it. But I did well on my shots, sticking to my routine and staying focused on what I was doing.”

Woods is going for his fourth consecutive victory and 10th of the year, which would be the most by anyone since Sam Snead had 11 in 1950. Flesch is still trying to win, but he can’t think of a better time.

“If I could get my first win playing in the same group with Tiger, I don’t think there’s anything more I could ask for,” he said.

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The LPGA split six matches with its Japanese counterpart for a 7-5 lead after two rounds in the $765,000 Cisco World Ladies Challenge at Narita, Japan.

The LPGA needs five wins and a tie in 12 stroke-play matches today to keep alive its 16-year winning streak and win the title for the 20th time in 22 years.