Fleetwood well placed as Woods finds form

Tommy Fleetwood moved into contention to win his first PGA Tour title at the Honda Classic last night, but inevitably the talk of golf focused on the remarkable performance of Tiger Woods.

While Fleetwood finished off his third round at the PGA National with a

brilliant eagle, to give the Englishman a 67 and put him on five-under within two of the lead held by American Luke List, Woods set himself up for his first top 10 in almost three years.

Watching Woods shoot a 69, it was almost impossible to equate this figure with the player who has suffered for so long with back pain and who just nine months ago underwent a spinal fusion.

On level par, Woods is tied for 11th and although it is a stretch to imagine him winning from there, that notion does not seem nearly so far fetched as the 42-year-old being in this position at the start of the week.

Having missed the cut at last week’s Genesis Open in Los Angeles many feared for him at the brutal layout, just a few miles from his Florida home. But there Woods was actually bemoaning “only” shooting a round of one-under.

“That was probably the highest score I could have shot,” Woods said. “I really hit it good and had nice control. If I could have just made a few more putts on the front nine, I could have got the round started. Overall, I feel very pleased to shoot something in the red.”

Woods could easily have posted a four or five under and his progress on just his third full-field tournament in a year appears little short of a miracle. His swing speed was up to 128mph, one of the fastest on Tour. Even his biggest critic, Brandel Chamblee, the former PGA Tour player turned Golf Channel analyst, could extend nothing but praise. “I never thought I would this Tiger Woods again,” Chamblee said.

For Fleetwood, he has the chance to make his American breakthrough. The Merseysider’s three-under afternoon included two eagles and a double bogey. He holed out from 140 yards on the par-four fourth, made an ugly six on par four 13th and then played a sumptuous three-wood from 283 yards to just seven feet for a three on the parfive last.