Nine players had or shared the lead during the third round of the Byron Nelson Championship. Yet when play ended Saturday, Jason Dufner was the one alone at the top of the leader board for the second day in a row.THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Tiger Woods knows he’s playing better than he has in the last two years, and he has the leader board to prove it.
Woods hit a half-dozen extraordinary shots Friday in the Chevron World Challenge on his way to a 5-under 67, giving him a three-shot lead over Matt Kuchar and K.J. Choi going into the weekend at Sherwood Country Club.
It was the second straight tournament that Woods had the 36-hole lead. Three weeks ago at the Australian Open, he was one shot ahead until a 75 in the third round. Woods wound up in third place at The Lakes, his best finish of the year.
Woods had two eagles, and nearly had a third with a flop shot from behind the 13th green that he was still talking about long after his round. Not even a double bogey on the par-3 15th hole when a gust knocked his ball into the water could keep him from a comfortable lead after two rounds.
“I want the lead after four days,” said Woods, winless in his last 26 official starts dating to the Australian Masters in November 2009.
“Two days is nice, but four days is even better. I know I’m playing better, and it’s nice to see my position on the leader board equating to it.”
Woods was at 8-under 136 and will play in the final group today with Kuchar.
“To put it simply, today he played like an artist,” Choi said about Woods. “It’s pretty clear that he’s really recovered and is back in his old form again, and he missed a few putts, but it was really good to see him play well.”
SUNSHINE TOUR: In Sun City, South Africa, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead over Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Jason Dufner and Robert Karlsson in the Nedbank Golf Challenge. McDowell birdied two of the last three holes after dropping two strokes with a double bogey on the par-5 14th. He’s at 7-under 137.
EUROPEAN/ASIAN TOUR: In Hong Kong,
U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy shot a 1-under 69 for a share of the second-round lead with Spain’s Alvaro Quiros in the Hong Kong Open. Quiros also had a 69 to match McIlroy at 7-under 133. John Daly made the cut by a stroke, following his opening 74 with a 68.
