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Tiger Roars Back To Take Open Lead

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By MICK ELLIOTT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 15, 2008

Updated: 06/15/2008 12:22 am

SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods raised a clenched fist as a jet engine-like roar built all around him on the 18th green. A 25-foot putt for his second eagle of Saturday's third-round back nine of the U.S. Open had just fallen. Despite limping, grimacing and seemingly spraying tee shots into every nook and cranny at Torrey Pines, he had just shot 70 to go 3 under and take a one-shot lead over Lee Westwood.

Never accused of hiding his emotions, the world's No. 1 golfer closed his eyes, exhaled deeply and barely moved the famous fist that leads the world in celebratory pumps.

That's all he had left.

The surgically repaired left knee is hurting and buckled on his tee shot at No. 15. Even Woods, who all week has declined to discuss the ailment, finally admitted, "More sore."

Woods' resolve and magic, however, may never have been better.

Now he goes into today's final round of the 108th U.S. Open as the 54-hole leader, a position in which he has won 13 major championships.

Westwood, the 35-year-old Englishman seeking his first major, shot 70 and is 2 under. Rocco Mediate posted 72 and trails by two at 1 under.

"Just trying to get by," Woods said. "I didn't hit the ball well. I didn't warm up well today. I didn't hit the ball well warming up, particularly crisp and clean. I was trying to. Even warming up, I had a two-way miss going so I was trying to clean that up."

The day started so laboriously. Coming off a second-round back-nine 30 that put him one shot out of the lead, Woods returned Saturday in full struggle.

For the second time this week he started with double-bogey at the 448-yard par-4 first hole, misfiring off the tee and steadily compounding his woes. With 208 yards left to the green from left rough, Woods found more deep grass short and right of the green with his second shot, wedged to the back fringe, chunked the chip and missed a 9-foot putt.

At No. 2 he wasted a birdie opportunity from 8 feet. He had to escape the front bunker to save par on the par-3 third, and bogeyed the fourth hole after a poor sand shot and a failed one-putt attempt from 12 feet.

He did birdie No. 7 from 15 feet, but could not make up ground at the par-5 ninth despite a chip from the fringe for eagle and a 12-foot putt for birdie at 10.

And then he went Tiger.

From back of the green on the 539-yard 13th, he rolled in an improbable eagle putt from 66 feet.

"I was just trying not to make a 6 there," Woods said. "And I ended up making a 3. I'm thinking, 'You've got to be kidding me.'"

At 17, he was in deep greenside rough. Forced to lean on his right side to protect his knee while standing on a steep incline, Woods hit his chip from 35 feet too hard - but it took one bounce, hit the flagstick 2 feet high and fell into the cup for birdie.

Woods shook his head and laughed.

"That chip shot came out hot," Woods said. "I was just praying it would roll back down the hole and give me an 8- or 10-footer. That had no business going in."

He then reached the 573-yard par-5 18th in two and, as if scripted, rolled a breaking putt in the cup for another eagle.

"Completely out of his mind," Mediate said. "The stuff he does, it's unreal. It was an amazing day; it's one of the best days I've ever had on a golf course like this. And obviously I would have loved to finish 4 or 5 under, but so would everybody else. Play is hard."

Mediate, 45 and owner of a famously bad back, held the lead all day after a birdie on the second hole and built his advantage to three shots at 4 under through 12 holes, but quickly came back to the field. He bogeyed the par-5 13th, double-bogeyed 15 and bogeyed 16. A birdie at 17 did stop the bleeding and kept him in the hunt and tied with Woods.

Woods, Westwood and Mediate are the only three players under par.

Second-round leader Stuart Appleby made two bogeys and a double in his first six holes and shot 79. Robert Karlsson, paired with Woods in the day's next-to-last group, played his opening eight holes 5 over.

Mick Elliott can be reached at (813) 281-2534 or melliott@tampatrib.com.

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