Woods has trouble finishing and falls off the pace

A mammoth gallery watched tournament host Tiger Woods make par on 15 of 18 holes, a round that was inches away from being something spectacular.

A much smaller crowd followed the day’s final group and witnessed an eventful round from Stuart Appleby, who took a two-stroke lead Saturday over K.J. Choi with one round to play in the AT&T; National at Bethesda, Md.

Woods, meanwhile, rued what could have been. Putt after putt missed by just inches -- a 37-footer at No. 2, a six-footer at No. 3, a 21-footer at No. 13, a 14-footer at No. 14. The result was a 69 that gave him at two-under 208 and tied for eighth -- seven shots off the lead.

“I turned a 63 or 64 into a 69 very smoothly,” Woods said.

That’s no exaggeration. Woods had six birdie putts that stopped less than a foot from the hole, and two more that settled less than two feet away.

Appleby shot two-under 68 on a hot and humid afternoon at Congressional Country Club. His round included five birdies, three bogeys and par saves such as a 10-foot putt at the 18th, a change of pace from the steady play that had put him in a tie for the lead after two rounds.

He had only two bogeys in his first 36 holes -- fewest in the field -- yet his erratic third round nevertheless left him at nine-under 201 and on pace for his ninth PGA Tour victory and first of 2007.

“It was a demanding golf course today,” Appleby said. “There was a little bit more respect to be had, watching for the balls to be bouncing off the fairways and running with the contours a little bit more.”

Choi was five shots behind Appleby following a bogey at the 14th, but he birdied the next three holes to finish with a 70. Steve Stricker (67) was three shots behind Appleby in third place, one shot ahead of fourth-place Mike Weir (67).

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Tom Watson struggled in the third round of the U.S. Senior Open at Haven, Wis., but his closest pursuers didn’t fare any better as Whistling Straits finally showed its teeth.

Shaking off a rough day on a course that rediscovered its signature windy “whistle,” Watson shot a one-over 73 to take a three-stroke lead over Loren Roberts into the final round. He’s at seven-under 209. Roberts shot a one-over 73.

Players had to contend with winds that blew at an estimated 10-20 mph and got stronger later in the day.

Only eight players played the course under par. Even harder winds were forecast for today’s final round.

One of the few players to make a major move up the leader board was Senior PGA tournament champion Denis Watson, who began play at three over for the tournament but had the best round of the day, a five-under 67 to move to two under overall.