Tiger in pole but McGinley still in with a shout

20/08/2005 - 19:53:03
Tiger Woods is on course to claim his 10th World Golf Championship victory in 20 starts on Sunday - but Ireland's Paul McGinley remains in contention.

Although Lee Westwood had the round of the day at the NEC Invitational in Akron – a dazzling 63 which was by two shots his best-ever score in America – it was Woods who took control.

When an approaching thunderstorm forced play to be halted at 12.44pm Woods, seeking his fourth victory on the Firestone course, led Ireland’s McGinley and American Kenny Perry by two.

The tee-off times had been brought forward nearly five hours because of the bad weather forecast and Woods, four under for his third round, had just missed the green at the short 15th when the sirens sounded.

McGinley had been one ahead himself when he birdied the opening two holes, but Woods’ response to that was to have three in a row from the second.

The world number one then added another with a superb approach to four feet on the 471-yard 13th, while the Dubliner picked up further shots at the 10th and 14th, but also bogeyed the 11th after pulling his drive into the rough.

Woods stood eight under par, McGinley and Perry six under with three and two holes to go respectively and then there was another two-stroke gap to Jose Maria Olazabal, Thomas Bjorn and Stuart Appleby.

There was disappointment for English pair Luke Donald and David Howell.

Donald had been joint halfway leader with the Masters and British Open champion, but fell seven adrift with four bogeys and just a solitary birdie at the eighth.

Howell, meanwhile, moved into share of second place by covering the front nine in 31, but he three-putted the short 12th and then double-bogeyed the next. That left him five behind.

Westwood, who shot a closing 75 in the US PGA after starting the final round last Sunday only three behind, set the early clubhouse target at two under after racing to the turn in a brilliant 29.

He was in the very first group off the 10th tee at 7.20am along with Ryder Cup partner Darren Clarke.

Quite often the pair have something at stake when they go head-to-head, but Westwood, who out-scored the Irishman by nine, said: “We didn’t have a bet - it was too early to strike one up.”

They both opened with two birdies, but while Clarke gave the strokes back with bogeys at the 13th and 18th Westwood completed a back nine 29 with four more birdies in a row from the 15th.

After making putts of six and nine feet at the 10th and 11th he holed from 12 feet at the short 15th, pitched to two feet on the next, was only four feet from the flag with his 162-yard second to the 17th and smashed a 380-yard drive down the last before pitching to six feet.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve broken 30 in America,” he added.

When another birdie came on the long second – he was on in two – the course record of 61 held by Woods and Olazabal was a distinct possibility. But he had to be content with seven pars to finish with.

“I’m good at putting disappointments behind me. I’ve had a few and you never know what’s around the corner,” stated Westwood.

“The more I play over here the more I get into the rhythm of things. I’ve yet to put four rounds together, but I feel more adjusted.”

Padraig Harrington threatened to have a round every bit as good as Westwood’s when he birdied four of the first five.

But he bogeyed either side of the turn and after another birdie at the 13th got into all sorts of trouble on the 667-yard 17th.

Left off the tee and still nearly 230 yards from the hole in three, he ran up a double bogey seven. He finished with a 69 for two over.