Woods out of contention at TPC
By RON SIRAK
AP Golf Writer
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Even Scott Hoch thinks Steve
Elkington might be playing too well to be caught at the Players
Championship.
"Probably one of my best rounds," was Hoch's honest
answer when asked what it would take Sunday for him to overcome
Elkington's two-stroke lead.
"He's playing better than anybody right now, so it's going
to be difficult," Hoch said.
Greg Norman started the back nine with two 6s and still shot
a 72 to be at 1-under-par 215. Tiger Woods shot a 72 and was at
216 along with Nick Faldo, who shot a 73.
No one played better than Hoch in Saturday's third round on
the Stadium Course at TPC.
His 65 was two strokes better than anyone else on a gusty,
overcast day and no one else was within five strokes of Elkington,
whose 68 put him at 13-under-par 203 to Hoch's 205.
Billy Andrade and Tom Purtzer were at 208, Kirk Triplett was
at 209 and PGA winner Mark Brooks was at 210 along with Tommy
Tolles and Larry Mize.
Elkington started the day with three consecutive birdies and
led by as many as five strokes as it appeared for a time as if
the tournament would turn into a complete runaway.
But Hoch's 65 and two closing bogeys by Elkington made it tight.
"I basically did what I needed to do," Elkington
said. "It shortened who can win a little bit. If I play good,
I've probably got to beat one or two guys. If I don't, I bring
more in."
Hoch was the only player able to apply any pressure to Elkington
on Saturday, making seven birdies and no bogeys.
"I got no clue where that came from," said Hoch,
who has never finished higher than 13th in 13 Players Championships,
missing the cut seven times.
"I really played well," he said. "I felt very
at ease. I tried a new putter this week and got a lesson from
the best teacher - my father."
Hoch needed only 25 putts in the third round and used a mere
81 putts so far this week. He made six birdies in the first 12
holes and saved his great round with a scrambling par on No. 18.
"Anytime I had a chance to make bogey I was fortunate
enough to make a good chip shot or a putt," he said.
He drove way right on No. 18, played a 6-iron from 203 yards
short of the green and pitched up and made a 6-foot putt to save
par.
"I thought I might have let it slip away a little bit
on 18," Hoch said. "That was a good par to get."
Hoch's 65 came on a day when only 23 of the 76 players broke
par and the course average was a 73.
Elkington, who played with methodical precision until hitting
uncharacteristic poor iron shots on Nos. 17 and 18, had his third
round in the 60s in the tournament.
Continuing his brilliant iron play, six of Elkington's seven
birdie putts were within 10 feet and three of those were 2-footers.
"I'm just playing my game," Elkington said. "I'm
staying away from trouble very well. I'm not finding it easy,
I'm just hitting it real good."
There must be something about being a dad that agrees with
Elkington. When his first child, Annie, was born in March 1995
he pulled out of the Players Championship to be with his wife.
He then was rewarded with his biggest year, finishing fifth
in the Masters, sixth in the British Open and winning the PGA
Championship.
Since his son Samuel was born Feb. 25 of this year, Elkington
has won at Doral and played near-perfect golf at TPC.
"You know, I think that has something to do with it,"
Elkington said when asked if he played with renewed enjoyment
after the birth of his children.
Elkington, who won this tournament in 1991, turned the front
nine in 32 - he's played the front 10 under with no bogeys in
three rounds - then started the back nine with two more birdies
to get to 15 under par.
But he weakened a bit down the stretch. He made a bogey on
No. 12 and saved par on No. 14 only by making a 20-foot putt.
He got a stroke back on the par-5 16th hole when he hit to the
fringe in two. But a poor 9-iron on No. 17 left him 50 feet short
of the flag and he three-putted.
On No. 18, he drove with a 3-wood way right and after a free
drop from along the cart path, left a 2-iron in the right rough.
He played a great flop shot that glanced off the flag and ended
10 feet from the hole, but missed the putt to finish bogey-bogey.
"The bogey-bogey finish was not what I wanted, but it
didn't upset me," Elkington said. "I played well today.
I wasn't going to ruin a round by making double bogey.
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