Woods still leading way at Doral
MIAMI – It won’t be Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson in the final group again today at the Ford Championship, but it won’t be all that shabby either
Woods, the defending champion, overcame a double bogey at the par-3 ninth with three consecutive birdies on the back nine Saturday to finish with a 68 and a 54-hole total of 17-under 199.
That was good for a two-shot lead over Daniel Chopra (68-201) and Rich Beem (69-201) on Doral’s Blue course. Woods has either shared or held the outright lead for three straight days and will play today with Chopra, who birdied two of his last three holes.
“I’m in pretty good shape,” Woods said after spending 20 minutes at the driving range following his round. “I guess I didn’t hit it all that well, but somehow managed myself around and made some good swings coming home. The wind was a huge factor out there. It was blowing. Any kind of loose shot and it was gone.”
Mickelson, tied with Woods for the 36-hole lead, could not keep up with winds gusting as high as 25 miles an hour. He came in with a 72 – 203, four strokes off the pace after hitting his second shot 4-iron at the 467-yard 18th hole into the water and making his second bogey in his final three holes.
“I saw it land in the middle of the green, and I couldn’t believe it went in the water,” Mickelson said. “Obviously it wasn’t what I had hoped. The great thing about today is that it’s not the last day. It’s going to take a low round (to win Sunday). If I can get some of those putts I missed on the back to go in, maybe I can make a run … I might have a low round in me.”
The 18th, the signature hole on the course, also dashed the chance of flamboyant rookie Camilo Villegas to play in the last group with Woods.
The 24-year-old Colombian, who had a double bogey in the water at the 236-yard fourth hole, also double-bogeyed the 18th when his wild drive landed under a massive banyan tree, leaving him no shot at the flag.
After a long wait deciding which direction he’d take, he was forced to play down the first fairway on his second shot. After another delay getting a ruling on a line of sight to the green, he hit his third shot over a hospitality tent to get to the putting surface. He pulled off that 8-iron shot and left himself a 35-footer for his par, but three-putted from there and had to settle for a round of 71-202 and a tie for fourth place with David Toms (70).
Villegas, who played golf at the University of Florida, leans toward tight pants and colorful day-glo shirts and has flowing, blonde hair. He had a large, boisterous gallery among his enthusiastic fans.