Masters May Turn From Wet to Wild

What would the Masters be without azaleas, dogwood, pine trees, a little rain, and Tiger Woods on the prowl?

For the fifth consecutive year, Augusta National turned out to be as wet as Rae’s Creek, when showers and thunderstorms caused a delay of more than four hours, kept the leaders in the locker room for most of the day and prevented Saturday’s third round from being completed, as Chad Campbell hung on to a soggy, one-shot lead.

Campbell played only four holes and went birdie-birdie-bogey-bogey, beginning his round a few minutes before 7 p.m., which should have been more like dinnertime than bogey time.

“It’s going to be tough, but I don’t think winning any major is easy,” said Campbell, who is six under par. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Those slip-ups by Campbell, who started with a three-shot lead, allowed Tim Clark and Rocco Mediate to edge even closer before a final rush begins this morning at 7:45 a.m. EDT, with Woods occupying a familiar position in the hunt.

And they’re not the only ones who are in sight. Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh are all within four shots.

Thirty-six players in the 47-player field did not complete the third round. The fourth round is supposed to begin at 11 a.m.

Campbell knows the numbers and the odds.

“Obviously, those guys do have a lot more major experience, with the wins, but, you know, I’d like to start somewhere,” Campbell said.

Woods finished nine holes Saturday, shot two under and trails Campbell by three shots, which is about the same place he was last year when rain sent him off the course after only nine holes, four shots behind leader Chris DiMarco.

Woods shot a 34 on the back nine last year during a seven-shot turnaround and took a three-shot lead after 54 holes when DiMarco shot a 41 on the back and posted a two-over 74.

Few have any difficulty remembering how that eventually turned out. Woods closed out with a 71 and beat DiMarco in a one-hole playoff. But at this point, Woods said it’s not time for a status check.

“Last year is last year,” he said. “I have to put my ball in position to make birdies. I’m right in the ballgame.”

Woods made a tap-in birdie at the par-four third and another one at the par-five eighth, which he birdied for the third day in a row.

“I’ve got to make a couple more on the back nine to get myself back in this,” Woods said. “I wish I was better, I wish I was more under par, but I’ve still got nine holes.

“On this golf course, anything can happen.”

That’s precisely what the rest of the Big Five is thinking. Mickelson played five holes and didn’t have one par. He birdied his first three holes and then made his task more difficult with bogeys at the fourth and fifth.

Padraig Harrington made up two shots in the first six holes and he’s tied for fourth with Woods and Mickelson, three under for the tournament.

With 13 holes left in the third round, Mickelson is looking at a 31-hole day, the same as Els, who is four shots behind Campbell. Singh, who bogeyed the fourth, has 32 holes to make up four shots. That’s the same margin that Goosen must close.

Mediate, Campbell and Singh have the longest days in front of them, but Mediate said he’s not going to stress about it, even with his history of back problems.

“I’ll crawl around here if I have to,” he said. “I’m not going to stop, unless you pull me out of here.

“I have to do something real special to win this golf tournament. Some of the bigger guns ... have been there many more times. Phil is right there, he’s close. Tiger is always close. As long as he’s upright, he’s close.”

Woods, Mickelson, Goosen, Els and Singh have won a total of 20 major titles, 10 of them by Woods, who has won the Masters four times. But as darkness fell with the third round still incomplete, their path to another championship may not seem quite as treacherous as Campbell’s.

This is Campbell’s fourth Masters, but he missed the cut in two of them. He tied for 17th last year, but closed with a 75. He said he hopes he’s ready.

“You can make some birdies out there, with the greens being a little softer and a little bit slower,” Campbell said. “You can attack the holes a little bit easier.

“I might change my game plan a little bit. It’s obviously going to play a little bit easier, but it never plays easy.”

Even though it was a short day, it seemed like a long one for 54-year-old Ben Crenshaw, who was five over through eight holes. Fred Couples, 46, bogeyed the first hole, but he’s still tied for seventh with Goosen, Els, Singh and Stephen Ames at two under.

It’s all about positioning. Finishing the third round on a high note would seem to be a good plan -- the Masters winner has come from the final pairing in each of the last 15 years.

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Leaderboard

Scores from the Masters after Saturday (Par 72; 7,445 yards). Coverage begins at 5 a.m. on USA and 11:30 a.m. on Ch. 2:

*--* LEADERS

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*--* Player 1st 2nd 3rd Par Chad Campbell 71 67 4 -6 Tim Clark 70 72 5 -5 Rocco Mediate 68 73 4 -5 Tiger Woods 72 71 9 -3 P. Harrington 73 70 6 -3 Phil Mickelson 70 72 5 -3 Stephen Ames 74 70 9 -2 Retief Goosen 70 73 9 -2 Ernie Els 71 71 5 -2 Fred Couples 71 70 5 -2 Vijay Singh 67 74 4 -2

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*--* OTHERS

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*--* Mike Weir 71 73 11 -1 Billy Mayfair 71 72 7 -1 Darren Clarke 72 70 5 -1 Jim Furyk 73 75 68 E Davis Love III 74 71 13 +3 Ben Crenshaw 71 72 8 +4 Sergio Garcia 72 74 16 +8

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*--* Note -- The third round is either hole completed or final score.

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