Tiger Has One Left for Feat

By THOMAS BONK

April 8, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

AUGUSTA, Ga. —

As you may know, they serve their legends in large portions here at the long-ago playground of Bobby Jones. Now, 71 years after his greatest feat, Jones may finally get some company in the history department today, when Tiger Woods begins the final round as the leader of the Masters.

Jones is the only player to hold all four of golf’s major championships at the same time--a Grand Slam--but Woods has a chance to do the same thing if he protects his one-shot lead on the slippery slopes, dangerous waters and suffocating pressure of Augusta National.

It would seem that the biggest difference between golf’s established icon and the emerging new one is a matter of timing. Jones accomplished his feat in one calendar year, in 1930, and Woods would have constructed his “Tiger Slam” in parts of last year and this one.

Woods began Saturday’s third round two shots off the lead and ended it one shot ahead of Phil Mickelson, setting up a theatrical showdown between the No. 1 (Woods) and No. 2 (Mickelson) players in the world.

His third-round 68 moved Woods to 12-under-par 204 and the narrowest margin over Mickelson, who once again rescued his round coming in and finished with a 69 and a 54-hole score of 205.

If it were only Woods and Mickelson in a head-to-head confrontation, that would be alluring enough, but the weight of history is a heavy distraction.

Or so it would seem.

“I haven’t thought about it,” Woods said. “I’m kind of thinking about my swing right now. Sorry.”

No apologies necessary. So think about this: Mickelson has never won a major and Woods has won four of the last five. That’s probably enough to think about right now.

Brad Faxon made an assessment of the situation and came up with as good a read as anyone.

“Some guys who need to win a major and one guy who has won a lot of them,” he said.

Sure, a Woods-Mickelson matchup is hard to beat, but the fact is that they’re not the only ones who have a chance to win. There are eight players within four shots of Woods and six of them have not won a major.

It took only one hole on the back side for Woods to go from even with Chris DiMarco to a two-shot lead. That was at the par-five 15th, where he chipped to 1 1/2 feet and made the putt for a birdie while DiMarco lost a shot for a bogey.

DiMarco, playing in his first Masters, tried to say he wasn’t unnerved.

“I didn’t really pay attention,” he said.

At this stage, it seems clear that a great deal of attention must be paid to many.

DiMarco’s 72 dropped him from the lead into a tie for third at 10-under 206 with Mark Calcavecchia, the 1989 British Open champion who moved up with a 68.

Only three shots behind Woods is the formidable duo of two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els and David Duval. Angel Cabrera of Argentina is also in the same group, but would have been higher if he had avoided a double bogey at the 15th when he knocked his second shot into the water.

Rocco Mediate had the best round with a 66 and joined Kirk Triplett at eight-under 208, only four shots behind Woods.

Since he turned pro less than five years ago, Woods has proved to be highly successful as a front-runner. He is 20-2 in PGA Tour events when leading after 54 holes and 22-4 worldwide.

Mickelson says he has more on his mind than Woods. He has his own forces driving him and who can say if his are any less powerful than those affecting Woods.

“I desperately want this,” he said. “I’ve said all along that this provides me with the best opportunity [to win a major] and I’ve been looking forward to it for some time to finally break through.

“I have been preparing, not just this past year, not just this past 10 years, but since I was a little kid picking up range balls so I could practice, dreaming of this day. And so tomorrow is a very important day for me.”

It wouldn’t have been so important if Mickelson had failed to come back from what appeared to be a devastating double bogey at the 14th when he three-putted from 25 feet. But he did come back. Mickelson birdied the last two holes, the 17th when he hit a nine-iron from 140 yards to 15 feet and the 18th when he hit an eight-iron to 10 feet and rolled in the putt.

As for Woods, he says his round was nothing really special, just sort of workmanlike. He played the four par-five holes in two under and made only one bogey. That was at the tricky par-three 12th, the centerpiece of Amen Corner, where he missed the green long with an eight-iron, chipped to eight feet and missed the putt.

Woods said he is looking forward to matching up against Mickelson, even though it’s not a duel he said he would have scripted, a one-shot lead on the last day of the Masters.

“Ten shots,” said Woods, who won the 1997 Masters by 12. “Why limit yourself? If you’re going to dream, might as well be 10.”

Els contends it is hardly farfetched that someone other than Woods or Mickelson can come through. Maybe even him, a likelihood that grew larger after Els eagled the 13th with an eight-iron approach and a 25-foot putt into the heart of the hole.

“Experience around a golf course like this in the final round, it does help,” he said.

“But anybody on this leaderboard, we’ve all got a fair chance. So experience might fly out the window. You might just get a rookie. Anything can happen.

“But, obviously, Tiger is Tiger. And he’s not going to back down. So he’s the danger man out there.”

And, obviously, Tiger is the history man out there too. The Tiger Slam is within reach and this afternoon, we might be able to hear what sound it makes.

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Closing the Deal

How Tiger Woods has done when leading after three rounds of a major championship:

* 1997 Masters: Led by nine; shot 69 to win by 12.

* 1999 PGA: Co-led with Mike Weir; shot 72 to win by one.

* 2000 U.S. Open: Led by 10; shot 67 to win by 15.

* 2000 British Open: Led by six; shot 69 to win by eight.

* 2000 PGA: Led by one; shot 67, beat Bob May in playoff.

LEADERS

Tiger Woods: 70-66-68--204 -12

Phil Mickelson: 67-69-69--205 -11

Mark Calcavecchia: 72-66-68--206 -10