Woods in position to win

Tiger Woods set the tone early with a 4-iron that cut through the stiff wind and landed 10 feet away for eagle. He kept everyone at a distance Saturday by avoiding calamity on the Blue Monster’s brutal closing hole in Miami.

When the third round ended, it looked as though no one had a spitting chance.

With only one mistake on a windy day filled with them, Woods shot 4-under-par 68 and stretched his lead to four shots in the CA Championship, leaving him poised to capture his third straight title at Doral and send him to the Masters on a high.

About the only intrigue came from Sergio Garcia.

Disgusted by missing yet another short putt, the 27-year-old Spaniard tapped in for a three-putt bogey and then spit into the cup.

Woods again wiped out the field with superb shots and by making enough putts to reach 11-under 205. He is 38-3 on the PGA Tour with at least a share of the 54-hole lead, and he has never lost when leading by more than one.

Brett Wetterich had a 67 and will play in the final group today.

Nick O’Hern, who ended Woods’ seven-tournament winning streak on the PGA Tour by beating him in the Accenture Match Play Championship a month ago, shot a 66 and was another shot behind at 6-under 210.

LPGA

A fast start and strong finish to a long day has Lorena Ochoa well on her way to her 10th Tour victory and first of the year at Superstition Mountain, Ariz.

The tour’s reigning player of the year shot a 3-under 69 to take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Safeway International at 14-under 202.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (69) and South Korea’s Jeong Jang (68) were second at 10-under 206.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., is tied for 37th at 1 over and Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum missed the cut, finishing 5 over.