Thousand Oaks (California), Dec. 5: Tiger Woods capped a third-round 68 with a birdie as he homed in on his first victory in more than a year at the World Challenge golf tournament.
Woods’ four-under effort gave him a 17-under total of 199 and maintained his four-shot lead over US Open champion Graeme McDowell. After a bogey at the par-five second, Woods rebounded with three birdies in a row from the par-five fifth. He put an exclamation mark on his round with an approach that left him a tap-in for his sixth birdie of the day at 18. Northern Ireland’s McDowell also carded a 68 for 203. The next closest rival in the 18-man field was England’s Paul Casey, who carded a 69 for 207.
“I’m excited about tomorrow because of the way I’m playing,” said Woods, whose last victory was at the 2009 Australian Masters.
In 2010, his struggles on the course have mirrored the personal travails that saw his marriage end. Although this unofficial event that Woods hosts for the benefit of his charitable foundation wouldn’t give him a PGA Tour title, it is worth world rankings points and could provide a valuable boost as he heads into 2011.
Certainly over three days of play in rolling country west of Los Angeles, Woods has looked more like a 14-time major champion than he has all season. “To be honest with you, I don’t look at it that way when I’m out there playing,” Woods said of the chance to end his drought with a wire-to-wire victory. “It’s just that I’m in the moment, trying to put the golf ball on the different sides of the fairway, where I need to put it on the green. I just play,” he said.