CHASKA, Minnesota – Tiger Woods was one round away from winning another major but he squandered a four-shot lead and drew more company than he wanted at the US PGA Championship on Saturday.
Woods played so-so on another windy afternoon at Hazeltine National until his lead was gone. Only at the end of the day did he find some solace. One birdie on the back nine was enough for a 1-under 71. It gave him a two-shot lead over three-time major champion Padraig Harrington and Y.E. Yang.
Woods has never lost a major when leading going into the final round.
Only once in his career has he lost any tournament when leading by two shots or more.
“I played conservatively today,” Woods said. “I didn’t give myself a lot of looks. I was lag putting a lot. The only putt I really missed was on the three-putt. Other than that, it was a good, solid day.
“Given the conditions and my position in the tournament, I didn’t mind it.”
He was at 8-under 208, finishing just as the rain arrived.
Harrington surged into a share of the lead with four birdies over an eight-hole span in the middle of the round, catching Woods with a 7-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 14th. Right when it appeared they would be paired in the final round for the second straight week, Harrington made his only bogey of the round by going over the 18th green and failing to save par.
He wound up with a 69, and much greater hopes of defending his US PGA title than he had starting the day.
“The narrower the gap, the better,” Harrington said. “If I have to take four shots and I’ve taken two the first day, I suppose we’re halfway there. Obviously, to get a win, you’ve got to beat him by three tomorrow. That’s a tall order. But as I said, everybody in the situation who is behind is going to think, ‘Well, we have nothing to lose.’ You’ve got to have that attitude.”
Woods will play in the final group with Yang, who matched the best round of the tournament with a 67. Yang won his first US PGA Tour event this year at the Honda Classic, although the 37-year-old from South Korea was better known for taking down Woods at the HSBC Champions in China three years ago.
They weren’t playing in the same group in 2006, however. And this will be Yang’s first time contending in a major.
“It will be my first time playing with him, so I’ll try not to go over par,” he said with a smile. “But I’ve been looking forward to it. I’ve thought about playing with Tiger recently. Surprised it came true so fast.”
Woods’ four-shot lead was his largest in a major after 36 holes since he led by five at St. Andrews in 2005. Just like that British Open, his margin was cut to two shots going into the final round. (AP)