Sep 22, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tiger Woods plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
September 22, 2018
(Reuters) – Tiger Woods stood on the brink of his first title triumph since 2013 after opening a three-shot lead over Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy in the third round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Saturday.
Woods made a blistering start amid scenes reminiscent of his halcyon days, notching six birdies in the first seven holes after starting the day tied for the halfway lead with world number one Rose at East Lake.
The 14-times major champion cooled off on the back nine but a five-under-par 65 put him in prime position to record his 80th PGA Tour victory, a first since the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August, 2013.
Woods posted a 12-under 198 total while Englishman Rose recovered from a bogey, bogey start to card a 68.
Northern Irishman McIlroy birdied the par-five 18th for a 66 to earn a date with Woods in the final pairing for Sunday’s fourth round.
Woods has 79 PGA Tour victories, three short of the record held by Sam Snead.
He has never lost after starting the final round with a lead of at least three shots, but is likely to be tested on Sunday by two heavyweights who both have the ability to deliver a knockout punch.
“I’ve got my work cut out tomorrow,” Woods said, while also expressing confidence about his game.
“I feel good about it. I’ve been playing well throughout the entire summer, just piecing it together, building, building and building.
“Finally I’ve come to a point where I’ve got control of the lead.”
He led by five strokes late in the third round, but showed a hint of fragility by fluffing a pitch shot at the 16th hole, where he failed to carry his ball up the slope.
But with a double-bogey looming, he regrouped to hit his next delicate shot stone dead for a tap-in bogey, before Rose sank an eight-foot birdie to cut the gap to three.
McIlroy, meanwhile, birdied the 16th and 18th holes to join the fray, setting up the prospect of a Sunday to remember.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ed Osmond)
