Els still in charge; Woods 16 strokes behind
By JOEL STASHENKO / Associated Press Writer
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) - Jeff Maggert couldn't catch Ernie Els
during the last round of the U.S. Open. He gets another chance
on the final day of the Buick Classic.
With Els seemingly ready to lap the Buick field for the second
straight year, Maggert shot a dogged 5-under 66 Saturday to finish
within three strokes of Els after 54 holes.
He will go head-to-head with the South African on Sunday for
a championship it seemed for a time Els had wrapped up Saturday,
when his lead bulged to eight strokes.
"Even though Ernie had a big lead, if you can play with
him and make some birdies and put some pressure on him, it's to
my advantage," Maggert said. "Three shots is nothing
on our tour."
Maggert was among the group of Els, Tom Lehman and Colin Montgomerie
who battled over the final nine holes for the U.S. Open title
last weekend at Congressional. Maggert eventually finished fourth
as Els won his second Open title.
Maggert has said all week he felt both crushing disappointment
at the Open loss and a determination to use it to become a better
player.
"I was in command of my game with the exception of the
last three holes" in the Open, Maggert said.
The 33-year-old Texan has won more than $3.5 million since
joining the tour full time in 1991, but he has won only one tournament,
the 1993 Oldsmobile Classic.
"In 6-1/2 years I've played some pretty darn good golf
and I've won only once," Maggert said. "Sometimes it
puzzles me.
"At this level, a lot of it is in the brain. ... There's
just a fine line between winning golf tournaments out here and
not winning. I'm trying to get over that line."
Els, who won the Buick Classic by eight shots in 1996, seemed
ready to put away the field Saturday when he opened his comfortable
lead.
But he bogeyed out of the rough on No. 13 and out of the sand
on No. 16 to come back to the field. His 4-under round of 67 on
Saturday was good for a three-round total of 14-under 199. That
broke by one stroke the record he set last year for best 54-hole
score in the Buick Classic.
"Things were going my way," he said. "Momentum
changes sometimes in this game. It must have happened today."
Els said he has seen where tournament officials plan to put
some of the pins on Sunday, and he doesn't expect too many low
scores.
"You know that birdies won't be coming that easily,"
he said. "Those greens are going to be even firmer tomorrow."
Jim Furyk was alone at 9-under 204 following a 69 and Robert
Damron was at 205 after a 68.
Tiger Woods shot an even-par 71 and was 16 strokes behind Els
at 2-over 215. Woods, who had a streak of 11 straight rounds under
par starting with the first round of the Masters, has now failed
to break par in 10 of his last 11 rounds.
Els is trying to become the first back-to-back, wire-to-wire
winner on the PGA tour since Phil Mickelson won at Tucson in 1995
and 1996.
Highlights of Els' round included an up-and-down birdie after
he nearly drove the 326-yard par-4 seventh hole and a two-putt
birdie after he drove the 314-yard 10th.
Els tried to run away from the field starting at the par-4
11th. Short of the green in two, Els chipped in from about 40
feet to go to 15-under while Furyk, his playing partner, made
bogey to drop to 8-under.
Almost simultaneously, Mike Reid was double-bogeying the 15th
hole to fall to 7-under.
Els then made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 12th to go to 16-under
and take his biggest lead of the afternoon.
Maggert stayed within reach, however, with a steady six-birdie,
one-bogey round that included birdies at Nos. 14, 16 and 18.
While Maggert told himself that anything could still happen
when Els was ahead by eight, Furyk wasn't as optimistic.
"When he had an eight-shot lead at 13, you had to think
we were playing for second," Furyk said. "But golf's
a funny game."
Low round of the day was Billy Andrade's 64. He was at 5-under
208. Clarence Rose may have made a run at Els on Saturday as well,
but he got caught up in trees on the short, tricky seventh hole
and took a triple bogey. He finished with a 70 and joined Andrade
at 208.
The winner of the $1.5 million Buick Classic will earn $270,000.
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