Tiger surges into major contention
Woods brieflfly on top of a leaderboard during third round.
CARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND — For 20 minutes on a warm Saturday afternoon at the British Open, Tiger Woods’ name was back atop a leaderboard at a major championship and Carnoustie was buzzing.
Not much in golf compares with Woods on a charge. So when he rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 9, stiffffffffffffed an approach inside 2 feet for birdie at No. 10, and nearly drove onto the green to set up a tap-in birdie at No. 11, there was a feeling something special was happening.
Then three holes l ater, Woods two-putted for birdie at No. 14 and there he was, right at the top of the giant yellow leaderboards dotted all around Carnoustie, tied for the lead with fifive players at 6 under.
“It would be ... better on Sunday,” Woods said after his 5- under 66 got him back into the mix. “But I’m right there.”
A bogey at the par-3 16th stalled the momentum, and Woods had to scramble for a par at No. 18 after landing his drive on the bank of the Barry Burn and into the deep rough.
His 66 wasn’t even the best of the day — Justin Rose shot 64, Francesco Molinari 65 — but it likely will be what fans talk about when they leave.
When “moving day” was done, Woods found himself four strokes offff the lead of 9 under shared by Jordan Spieth, Xander Sch au ff ff ff ff ff ff el ea nd Kevin Kisner. Still, he was in contention for his fifirst major in 10 years.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve felt like this,” Woods said.
The sun was peeking out of the clouds and Woods was walking up the fifirst fairway when one spectator, a beer in his hand, shouted: “Go on Tiger, we got your back.”
It certainly felt that way when the deep gallery surrounding the first green roared their approval at Woods holing a 10- foot putt for par after he sent his approach right of the green.
It was one of the few times Woods was out of position in a round where he hit driver six times, compared with
three times in the second round and once Thursday.
“You’re the man, Tiger, everyone knows it,” shouted another spectator flflanking the fairway on the sixth hole.
And Woods’ playing partner sensed an aura around the 14-time major champion.
Woods was “back at the top of his game,” said Shaun Morris, who got Woods to sign four new gloves after the round and planned to give them to his friends back home in South Africa.
The last time Woods led or held a share of the lead at the end of a round at a major was in 2012, at the PGA Championship. On Saturday, it happened during a round, and only brieflfly.
“I didn’t know I was tied for the lead,” Woods said. “I knew I was within one. But I was right there.”