Tiger Woods opened with an eagle on his way to a four-under par 68 in Miami on Saturday to seize a four-stroke lead after the third round of the $8-million World Golf Championships CA Championship.
Woods stood on 11-under par 205 after 54 holes, with United States compatriot Brett Wetterich second on 209 and Australian Nick O’Hern, who ousted Woods at last month’s World Match Play, third on 210.
Reigning British Open and PGA Championship winner Woods has taken 12 of 23 prior World Golf Championship starts and has won 38 of 41 times when leading after 54 holes, never losing a lead of more than a stroke in 22 opportunities.
”I’ll just go out there tomorrow [Sunday] and take care of business,” Woods said. ”I just go out there and compete, go out and play.”
”I’ve said this numerous times — the greatest thing about having the lead is that if you make a couple of mistakes, you can still win the golf tournament,” said Woods, who is seeking his 56th career PGA Tour victory and his second of 2007.
”When you’re coming from behind, you’re chasing and you make a couple mistakes, you can put yourself right out of a chance to win the golf tournament,” he added. ”I always think it’s more comforting being in the lead.”
Woods opened with an eagle on the par-five first hole, answered his only bogey of the day at the sixth with birdies at seven and eight and then added another birdie on the 16th for good measure, ignoring the gusts of a blustery day.
”I’m rolling the ball on line,” Woods said. ”I’ve got the speed right which I didn’t the first day.”
World number one Woods is making a double title defence this week. He has won the US PGA event at Doral the past two years and last year in England won this WGC event when it was the American Express Championship.
Woods will seek his third major in a row and the 13th of his career in two weeks at the Masters, the first major championship of the year, at famed Augusta National Golf Club.
Wetterich, a Ryder Cup teammate of Woods last year, fired a 67 to edge past O’Hern — who fired a 66 — and earn the right to play alongside Woods on Sunday in quest of his second PGA title.
”I just tried to go out and play some good golf, put myself in spots where I wasn’t making big numbers,” Wetterich said.
However, Wetterich knew he would have to be aggressive on Sunday.
”You can’t sit back and be happy with making pars,” he said.
”You’ve got to start shooting at some flags and making birdies. If not, you’re going to fall behind.”
South African Ernie Els was in position to join Woods in the last group but took a double bogey at the 18th hole to join a group in fourth at 211.
Els, who had five birdies in the first 10 holes, pulled his tee shot left on the 18th and then hit a tree, leaving him behind a grove of trees for his third shot, which he slammed across the fairway into a right-side bunker.
Els blasted his fourth shot over the green and made an up-and-down to save a double bogey.
Joining Els on 211 were Fiji’s Vijay Singh, Aussie Aaron Baddeley, Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Americans Tom Pernice and Charles Howell. – Sapa-AFP