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Stricker eagles 18 to share Deutsche Bank lead with Goosen and O’Hair

PGA.com and AP News
NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Steve Stricker squeezed everything he could out of his final shot Sunday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, setting up an eagle that gave him a share of the lead in a tournament loaded with possibilities. Stricker, who can overtake Tiger Woods atop the FedExCup standings with a victory, hit his hybrid to 5 feet on the par-5 18th for a 6-under 65. He was among a dozen players separated by three shots going into the Labor Day finish at TPC Boston. RELATED LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: TPC Boston and the Deutsche Bank Championship Woods on a roll except for putting, but he’s nowhere near panic mode PGA Tour Notebook: In surprise move, Perry splits from longtime caddie PGATOUR.COM: Complete coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship O’Hair, who started the blustery third round tied for the lead, overcame a sluggish start with birdies on two of the last three holes for a 70. Goosen had a chance to take the outright lead until he failed to get up-and-down from a bunker on the 18th. He settled for a 68. “I needed a day like this today to get back into it,” Stricker said. Just about everyone else — except Woods — apparently had the same idea. While the leaders were at 13-under 200, Woods struggled from the opening shot. He hit driver into the woods for a one-shot penalty, didn’t make a birdie until the 15th hole and shot 1-over 72. That left him nine shots behind in a tie for 30th. Woods did not speak to reporters, going to the locker room to have his back stretched. The gallery still has a rooting favorite among those trying to win. Padraig Harrington, cheered wildly in a region with a large Irish population, knocked in a long birdie putt at the 18th for a 67 and was among those one shot behind, along with Scott Verplank (68) and Kevin Na (66). “There’s a saying, ‘There’s 5 million people in Ireland and 40 million in the States,’ and I think those 40 million people live in Boston,” Harrington said. “There’s great support here. When you get people supporting you, you do feed off it and try to go with it, and it’s certainly helped me over the last three days.” Jim Furyk, who had a share of the 36-hole lead with O’Hair, slumped to a 73 yet still was in the hunt. He was at 10-under 203. No one stands out as the obvious favorite. All of them share one goal. “You know someone is going to shoot a good score tomorrow,” Kevin Sutherland said after a 69 that put him in the group two shots behind. “You just need to be the guy who does it.” Stricker had a chance to take over the top spot in the FedExCup last week in The Barclays until he missed a 10-foot par putt on the final hole that would have forced a playoff with Heath Slocum. He hasn’t let up, opening with a 63 before getting tired with his putting stroke late in the day and falling five shots behind. This time, he kept firing away to the very end. Stricker felt the wind slightly into his face had 230 yards to carry a creek. He chose his hybrid, which he usually hits about 225 yards. “The only thing I had going for me is I had a little bit of a downhill lie that would keep the ball down a little bit,” Stricker said. “I hit it solid and it landed three or four paces short and just got up there very nicely. I maxed that one out, and it turned out good.” The winner can come from just about anywhere. “I don’t expect guys like Stricker and Harrington and Goosen … to fall backwards, that’s for sure,” O’Hair said. “I don’t know how low you’re going to have to go, but you’re still going to have to have a nice round of golf. If I go out there and focus on me and get comfortable on the first tee and not take four or five holes to get going, I should be right there at the end.” That wasn’t the case Sunday in sunshine and a mild breeze that was strong enough for players to continuously toss blades of grass in the air to figure out which way it was blowing. O’Hair took three shots from 20 feet just short of the green at No. 1, hooked his tee shot on the par-3 third for another bogey and chopped up the par-5 seventh, quickly falling out of contention. That was his last bogey, however, and he had a strong finishing kick. Even a player like Geoff Ogilvy, who birdied his last two holes for a 68 to finish four shots behind, is not ruling himself out. The four shots is not the issue. Perhaps a larger obstacle is the 12 guys in front of him. “It’s the people,” Ogilvy said. “Six back and second place is probably better than being four back and in 20th place.” The really bad position would be Woods’ neighborhood. He has not finished lower than 35th when he finishes a 72-hole tournament in more than two years, but a combination of the deceptive wind and a balky putter ruined his hopes. The wind and firm greens make this the toughest day yet. Even after the cut was made (weeding out players not at their best), the average score was at 71.15, the first time all week it has played over par. Even so, 29 players broke par. “The guys managed to get it in the hole somehow,” Goosen said. “I’m happy to be on top of the leaderboard, and I hope for a good tomorrow and see where we stand.”