Sunday, April 9, 2000
Winds again batter Masters
leaderboard
By Tom Peterson
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
(KRT)
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Tiger Woods is looking for
a dream rally in Sunday's final round of the Masters.
With the leaders finishing their third-round
in the cold and wind of an unseasonably cool Sunday morning, Woods
might add another accomplishment to his already gaudy resume -
there's a good chance he'll move up on the leaderboard while sleeping
in.
Weather again was the story of the day at
Augusta on Saturday, this time a two-hour, five-minute storm delay.
For Woods, that meant taking the break on his way to a 4-under-par
68. He'll enter the final day at 1-under for the tournament in
a tie for sixth place, up from a tie for 39th after Friday's second
round.
For David Duval and others who started Saturday
at the top of the Masters leaderboard and Vijay Singh who was
there when the day ended, that means finishing the third round
at 8:15 Sunday morning after overnight temperatures dip to the
mid-30s.
Singh, who had gained two shot to par before
play was called on the 15th hole, will begin the day at 7-under
for the tournament. Duval, Singh's partner Saturday, is alone
in second at 4-under, one shot ahead of Loren Roberts and Ernie
Els.
And Singh did it in winds that Jack Nicklaus
called "the toughest I've ever seen here." That says
a lot. The round was Nicklaus' 155th at Augusta and he shot his
worst score here, 81.
Singh will begin his day Sunday morning
with a tough chip to the 15th green, a slippery, sloping surface
with water front and back. Then he'll more to the par-3 16th,
where the Sunday pin placement will provide another wake up call.
Sunday's winds are expected to be light,
10-15 mph. There's little chance of rain.
Just right for an aggressive - and well-rested
- young player, who said Saturday he's regained his putting stroke.
"I'm not out of it," said Woods,
who said he was bothered Friday night by TV reports of his Masters
demise. Although he downplayed the report, reportedly by Mark
Lye on the Golf Channel, Woods came out and reached the 60s for
the first time in 10 rounds at the Masters.
"When I went out today with the wind
conditions I had going out there, I figured I'd probably be four
to seven back if I got to even par with the wind blowing as hard."
"They're going to have to play different
shots to the green now and they're going to have to watch for
the ball to stick too."
Woods said the conditions would keep competitors
from gaining ground in the afternoon, when gusts to 42 miles per
hour kept the leaderboard operators hopping.
With the remarkable exception of Singh,
Woods' analysis was right on.
Mickelson, Els and Duval all lost ground
during their incomplete rounds. Mickelson had dropped four shots
over an eight-hole stretch before a birdie at 13. Els and Duval
each fell back two shots. The biggest loser was former contender
Tom Lehman, who shot a 38 on the front nine and bogey two of the
seven holes he played on the back before play was suspended.
Woods wasn't the only player to benefit
from the early start. Also positioned at 1-under was David Love
III, who shot 68 Saturday.
Love and Woods considered themselves fortunate
for the early start. despite enduring the rain and cold, they
missed the worst of the winds and changing green conditions that
confronted the leaders later in the day.
Both joked about their breaks. Woods said
he went into the clubhouse and "just ate and listened to
some old guys tell stories."
Love said his position on No. 9 allowed
to be "first in the sandwich line - which is important here."
Woods and Love each shaved two shots before
and two shots after the weather break. But as the winds built,
both were clearly content to have finished earlier.
Love addressed the predominant plotline
as Woods lurks in striking range Sunday.
"You look at leaderboard and that's
one of the best leaderboards of the year, whether his name is
on it or my name is on it," said Love.
"... Nobody out here thinks he's unbeatable."
Indeed even if the weather wears on the
leaders this morning, Woods and Love still will have to pass some
of the most impressive assemblages of of stars in years. And after
what's played out here so far, a good night's rest can only go
so far.
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