Woods’ PGA lead cut in half

CHASKA, Minn. – The coronation of Tiger Woods turned into a contest Saturday at the PGA Championship.

What had looked so inevitable – Woods with a four-shot lead on the weekend at a major – suddenly became filled with possibilities as his margin vanished along the back nine at Hazeltine.

Only a late birdie by Woods and a lone bogey from Padraig Harrington gave the final major a familiar look.

Woods, playing it safe to avoid throwing away shots, wound up with a 1-under-par 71 and had a two-shot lead over Harrington and Y.E. Yang. That left Woods one round away from capturing his 15th major, with more company than anyone expected.

“The narrower the gap, the better,” Harrington said.

But it’s still a gap. The advantage still belongs to Woods.

He has never lost a major when he was leading going into the final round.

Only once in his career – nine years ago – had he lost any tournament when leading by two shots or more.

His conservative play allowed his lead to be cut in half. Woods found little wrong with that.

“I didn’t give myself a lot of looks at putts,” he said. “I was lag putting a lot. Given the conditions and my position in the tournament, I didn’t mind it.”

The only fist pump Woods delivered on a blustery afternoon came on the short par-4 14th. He hit 3-wood to the back of the green, chipped so poorly that it ran through the green and against the collar, then used the blade of his sand wedge to knock in a 15-foot birdie putt that allowed him to regain the lead.

He finished at 8-under 208, ending his round just as the rain arrived in Minnesota for the first time all week.

Harrington surged into a share of the lead with four birdies over an eight-hole stretch in the middle of the round, catching Woods with a 7-foot birdie putt on the 14th. Right when it appeared they would be in the final pairing for the second straight week, the Irishman made his only bogey on the third round on the last hole by hitting over the green.

He wound up with a 69, and much greater hopes of defending his PGA title.

“If I have to take four shots and I’ve taken two the first day, I suppose we’re halfway there,” Harrington said. “Obviously, to get a win, you’ve got to beat him by three tomorrow. That’s a tall order.”

Harrington’s bogey put him at 6-under 210 and in the second-to-last group.

Woods will play with Yang, who matched the best round of the tournament with a 67.

Henrik Stenson, who captured The Players Championship in May, had a 68 and was in the group at 4-under 212 along with U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (71).

Ernie Els pulled within one shot of the lead until he finished with three straight bogeys, leaving him with a 70 and five shots behind. He was disgusted with the end of his round, although the Big Easy spoke for so many others about the outlook today.

Woods has never been beaten at a major when leading. But at least they have a chance.

“You could really feel that there’s a real championship going on around you,” Els said. “It’s not a runaway deal. Looked like a runaway thing at the end of yesterday.

“But it looks like the guys are really set to give Tiger a go, and the crowd could sense that.”