Red-hot Tiger closes in on top spot
Takes lead at Bay Hill, with return to No. 1 ranking prize for victory
ORLANDO, FLA.— Tiger Woods is one round away from returning to No. 1 in the world.
With key par saves early in his round and an eagle for the third straight day at Bay Hill, Woods seized control Saturday with a 6under 66 to race by Justin Rose and build a two-shot lead going into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Woods was at 11-under 205, two shots ahead of Rickie Fowler (67), John Huh (71) and Rose, who at one point was six shots ahead of Woods. Rose had a 39 on the back nine and wound up with a 72.
Woods hasn’t been No. 1 in the world ranking since the last week of October 2010. That can change Sunday with a victory on a Bay Hill course where he already has won seven times, and from a position where he hardly ever loses.
Woods is 41-2 on the PGA Tour when he has the outright lead going into the final round.
“Just because I’ve won here doesn’t ensure that I’m going to win the tournament,” Woods said. “But the objective is still to put myself in position to win the golf tournament and somehow get it done on Sunday. Over the course of my career, I’ve done a pretty decent job of that.”
Rose had a three-shot lead on the back nine until he crumbled, making three bogeys over the last six holes. He didn’t even make it into the final group. Fowler dropped only one shot on a muggy day with a short burst of showers, closing with a par from the back bunker on the 18th. The last time Fowler and Woods were paired in the final round was at the Memorial, where Woods closed with a 67 to win and Fowler shot 84. Woods can tie a PGA Tour record for most victories at one tournament. Sam Snead won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times. Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark had a 66 and was in a group at 8-under 208, along with Jimmy Walker (70), Bill Haas (73), Ken Duke (70) and Gonzalo FernandezCastano of Spain, who played with Woods and had a 68. Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (70) was tied for 12th at 6 under, while David Hearn (71) of Brantford, Ont., was in a group tied for 55th at 1-over par. Woods surged ahead with a birdie on the 15th and a 6-iron into 20 feet on the 16th for an eagle that put him atop the leaderboard. He has three eagles this week compared with four all of last season on the Tour. “I made a few putts, and that’s what I was pleased with today,” Woods said.