Rough and Tumble

There was no happy motoring for the Tiger Woods bandwagon Saturday at the Old Course, where his lead shriveled and nearly disappeared. But as it turned out, Woods’ one-under-par round of 71 was more fender-bender than total loss, and he starts today’s bid for his second British Open title with a two-shot lead over Jose Maria Olazabal.

That’s half of what he led by when the third round began, but that was also before he started visiting places on the golf course that should have remained off limits, such as gnarly, sharp gorse bushes and knee-high rough.

Still, Woods found it difficult to quibble about the advantages of being ahead, because a lead is still a lead and that’s clearly a plus for him, although his lead no longer remains anything resembling a comfortable margin. He said he didn’t care.

“I’m very happy to be in the lead,” he said. “The conditions got a little bit difficult coming in, it just got so hard coming in. It’s hard to get the ball close. I tried not to drop any [shots] coming home.

“To have the lead all day and actually end up with the lead is pretty sweet.”

And so, one of the greatest front-runners in golf has a chance to keep it going. Woods has either led or shared the 54-hole lead nine times in majors and he has won all nine, including this year at the Masters.

His record in regular PGA Tour events is almost as good -- he’s 31 for 34 when leading or tied for the lead after 54 holes.

His reputation as a closer is probably going to help today, he said.

“I think it certainly doesn’t hurt. Having the experience to call upon and knowing how to handle going out there and playing with the lead, I’ve done it before. So I can always say that and believe in it.”

Woods, at 12-under 204, was more than slightly relieved that he had saved par at the 17th hole after hitting his blind tee shot over the black shed at the Old Course Hotel and landing in deep rough left of the fairway. Saving par from such a precarious position made his two-putt birdie from 150 feet at the 18th all the more rewarding, Woods said.

At the Road Hole, Woods’ second shot was short of the green and he rolled the ball up the slope and onto the putting surface, but 10 feet past the hole. From there, he confidently rolled in the putt and gestured with his fist. It was a big-time putt performed at the perfect moment.

“At that time, if I missed that putt, I would go back to over par and I’d have to birdie 18 just to get back to level par,” he said. “Just to work that hard and have to birdie 18 to get back to even par, I couldn’t see that happening. So might as well make the putt and birdie 18 to finish under par.”

Olazabal’s 68 gave him a 54-hole score of 10-under 206. His round included a 60-foot eagle putt at the 12th and a nervy, curvy 15-foot birdie putt at the 18th, which meant he picked up three shots on Woods on a day when the leader didn’t have his best stuff.

Retief Goosen did have his best stuff, shooting a sparkling 66 that put him into a tie for third with Colin Montgomerie, who hung tough playing with Woods and shot a two-under 70 for a total of 207.

Afterward, Montgomerie said Woods remained the player to beat, regardless of how he played Saturday.

“I know, as well as everyone else knows in this field, that Tiger has probably had his hiccup today, and he got ‘round under par because the later starters had the most difficult of the conditions,” he said.

“It’s a seven-mile walk tomorrow and he’s obviously the favorite as he started the tournament. He copes with the pressure and the situation around him, being Tiger Woods, incredibly well. And if he does win this again, it’s an amazing effort.”

Sergio Garcia and Brad Faxon are next at 208 and Michael Campbell and Vijay Singh are five shots behind Woods at 209.

Olazabal is a two-time Masters champion who failed to qualify for the Open but still found a place in the field as the first alternate. He says he’s just happy to be here.

“Well, obviously, I’m not going to be as relaxed as I am right now if I’m leading the event teeing off 17, that’s for sure, but I’ll try to have as much fun as possible,” he said.

“What can I say? I’m enjoying the tournament a lot.”

The same is true for Goosen, who trailed Woods by eight shots when the day began, birdied four of the last five holes and was close enough to play tag with Tiger by the time the day ended.

“It was great,” said Goosen, who said he really hasn’t played up to par all year, pointing to the costly third-round 75 he had at the Masters and the heavy penalty he paid at the U.S. Open, where he closed with an 81 and wound up tied for 11th after holding the 54-hole lead.

Once again, Goosen insisted that his Sunday collapse at Pinehurst was old news.

“No, I’m not determined to make up for it,” he said. “It was just one of those things that happened. I’d just like to give myself a chance every time on Sunday and hopefully one day it works out and you win again. That’s all you can do.”

Three under on the front, Goosen didn’t pick up steam again until the 618-yard 14th, where he missed the green with his five-iron second shot but chipped to 15 feet and made the putt for a birdie. He hit a sand wedge into the 456-yard 15th and made a three-foot birdie putt, then hit a seven-iron into the 423-yard 16th and sank a 20-footer for birdie.

A three-putt bogey at the 17th stalled him only momentarily. Goosen closed with a birdie at the 357-yard 18th, which ranks as the easiest hole on the course. He hit a three-wood to 50 feet and two-putted for his birdie.

Woods could only wish for such a stretch of birdies, but the course wasn’t as kind as it was for the players who went out in the morning. After three-putting from 50 feet to bogey the second, Woods birdied the par-five fifth. But when his drive at the sixth wound up underneath a gorse bush the size of a Volkswagen, Woods was forced to take a drop because of an unplayable lie.

When he tried to drive the 352-yard ninth, Woods found another gorse bush and had to take a second drop, and although he managed to save par, he had missed a good chance for birdie. He cashed in a chance at the 12th when he drove to the front edge and two-putted from 50 feet.

But with the wind picking up, the fairways running fast and the conditions more difficult, Woods played the last six holes in par and considered himself fortunate.

“It became very, very difficult.”

Closing on Sunday, the Old Course probably isn’t going to get any easier, even for the best closer out there.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Leaderboard

Third-round leaders.

Today’s TV: 3 a.m.-5 a.m., TNT.

5 a.m.-10:30, Channel 7.

*--* Player 1st 2nd 3rd Total Par Tiger Woods 66 67 71 204 -12 Jose Maria Olazabal 68 70 68 206 -10 Retief Goosen 68 73 66 207 -9 Colin Montgomerie 71 66 70 207 -9 Sergio Garcia 70 69 69 208 -8 Brad Faxon 72 66 70 208 -8 Michael Campbell 69 72 68 209 -7 Vijay Singh 69 69 71 209 -7

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