Despite pain Tiger set for 14th major

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-16  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

HISTORY strongly suggests Tiger Woods will seal his 14th major victory at the US Open, regardless of the stabbing pain he has felt in his left knee at Torrey Pines over the last three days.

The American world No. 1 goes into the final round one stroke clear, having triumphed 13 times out of 13 in majors when holding at least a share of the lead after 54 holes.

Woods clawed his way to the top of the leaderboard with a brilliant display of shot-making and long-range putting, despite hitting only six fairways out of 14 in San Diego.

A stunning birdie-eagle finish in late afternoon sunshine gave him a one-under-par 70 and a three-under total of 210 on Saturday in his first tournament back since the Masters in mid-April.

Woods has been sidelined for the last eight weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his knee and accepts he will have to keep grinding through the pain in pursuit of another major title.

"I just keep telling myself that if it grabs me and if I get that shooting pain, I get it but it's always after impact," Woods told reporters.

"So go ahead and just make the proper swing if I can. That's what it's all about - getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.

"And I was just trying to manage my game, stay in there," he said of a topsy-turvy round that included a pair of eagles, two birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey at the par-four first.

"It's a US Open. Guys aren't going to go low, and even though I got off to such a poor start again today I just hung around, trying to get back to even par either for the tournament or for the day.

"For the day would be great. But even if I finished at even par for the tournament it wouldn't be a bad thing either. Then all of a sudden things started turning."

Woods covered the last six holes in four-under, rolling in a 60-footer to eagle 13, bogeying 14, sinking a 30-foot pitch from the rough to birdie 17 and signing off with a 40-foot eagle putt at the last.

"I didn't really try and manufacture anything today, I was just trying to play the proper shot," said the 32-year-old, who will start the final round one shot ahead of Briton Lee Westwood. "If pain hits, pain hits. So be it. It's just pain."

US Open champion at Pebble Beach in 2000 and at Bethpage in 2002, Woods is gunning for the record 18 majors piled up by fellow American Jack Nicklaus between 1962 and 1986. Victory would draw him within four of his childhood idol.

Meanwhile, Westwood, in search of his first major title, missed a four-foot birdie putt at the last but registered a solid 70 for a two-under total of 211.

American Rocco Mediate, who led by as much as three strokes midway through the round before stumbling late on, sank a long birdie putt at 17 to haul himself back into contention at one-under after a 72.

But even Mediate had to marvel at Woods's performance.

"Completely out of his mind," said the 45-year-old, who is also bidding for his first major victory. "The stuff he does, it's unreal."

Overnight leader Stuart Appleby of Australia, who began at three-under, had a nightmare round on the greens, missing a slew of short putts, most notably at the fifth where he four-putted from 20 feet for double bogey on his way to a 79.

Mediate began his slide with a bogey at 13, followed that with a double-bogey at 15 and another dropped shot at the 16th.

Westwood, 35, birdied 13 and parred out from there to move to the top of the leaderboard before Woods's flourish at the end. Westwood, aiming to become the first European in 38 years to win the US Open, since Tony Jacklin in 1970, insisted he was up to the task of taking on Woods. "It's just the position I wanted to be in. I have a good chance to win a major title."

Tied for fourth at one-over were 2006 champion Geoff Ogilvy (72) of Australia and American D.J. Trahan (73).

A shot further back were Australian Robert Allenby (73), Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez (74), Camilo Villegas of Colombia (71), Robert Karlsson of Sweden (75) and Hunter Mahan (69).