AUGUSTA – Here he comes again.
Tiger Woods is charging at the Masters again and it’s going to take a Herculean effort on someone’s part to stop him from winning a third Green Jacket.
Woods, who began the day at 3-under-par with 26 holes to play yesterday because of the rain-postponed second round, methodically marched his way up the leaderboard and, in the final moments of yesterday’s third round, he found himself tied for the lead with South African Retief Goosen entering today’s final round at Augusta National.
Strap yourselves in, Masters fans, and hang on with both hands. Today’s final round of the 66th Masters cannot help but be one stocked with compelling plots and subplots, dramatic lead swings and a climactic ending.
The top three players and five of the top seven on the leaderboard after yesterday’s eventful “moving-day” third round are all winners of at least one major title.
What more could you want for a final round of the Masters? This one has potential to be yet another memorable final day.
Woods, the defending champion, and Goosen, the reigning U.S. Open champion, are tied for the lead at 11-under-par.
The tie resulted when Woods, trailing Goosen by two shots, buried an eight-foot birdie putt on 18 and emphatically pointed at it as it fell into the cup – ala the 2000 PGA Championship. Minutes later, Goosen bogeyed the final hole.
Vijay Singh, the 2000 Masters champ and the leader entering the third round, is alone in second place at 9-under after shooting an even-par 72. He’s followed by two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els and major-championship-starved Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, all of whom are 7-under.
Two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal is a longshot at 6-under.
“It’s going to be an exciting day,” Goosen said. “Tiger is going to be the guy to beat, but I’m going to keep playing the course as well as I can play it. I can’t hit it the way Tiger hits it. I’ll be 30 yards behind him all day. I just have get it in there close and try to put pressure on him.”
Woods, who started the third round four shots back after a second-round 69, said his primary goal yesterday was to get himself “double-digits” under par and if he could catapult himself into the Sunday final group that would be a big bonus.
As his hot day got hotter, Woods, who shot 6-under 66 in his third round, was so focused on getting into that final group that, as soon as he got his approach shot got airborne on No. 18, his caddie, Steve Williams, barked, “Get in the final group.”
“I’ve been there before and I look forward to it,” Woods said.
For those who think Goosen will be shaking in his adidas spikes at the thought of playing in the final pairing with Woods, you’re mistaken.
Goosen, who started the third round one shot back after finishing off a 67 in the second round, is as calm a customer as you’ll find. Remember his unforgettable playoff comeback to beat Mark Brooks last summer after that three-putt on 18 at the Open at Southern Hills?
“Retief is pretty comfortable right now,” said Singh, who played with Goosen yesterday. “I don’t think his heart rate ever gets over 100. He’s just going to maintain his own rhythm and stay in his own world out there. I don’t think anything is going to bother him tomorrow.”
Goosen, who’s elevated his world ranking to No. 4 since his shocking U.S. Open win, has proven himself to be anything but a flash in the pan. Since his Open victory, which put him on the world golf map, Goosen has won six tournaments in nine months worldwide, including the European Tour’s Johnnie Walker Classic and the PGA Tour’s BellSouth Classic just last week.
“The guy is playing some unbelievable golf,” Els said.
“I know now that I can play under this sort of pressure,” Goosen said. “It’s going to be tough. Any final round in a major is difficult. It’s going to be difficult for Tiger as well.”