SOUTHAMPTON, New York, 20 June 2004 — Tiger Woods’ bid to close on the leaders quickly ran into trouble at the start of the third round of the US Open here yesterday.
The world No. 1 — starting seven shots behind joint second round leaders Phil Mickelson and Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama — dropped a shot at the 226-yard par-three second.
He then struggled at the third when his approach slid off the hardening greens. He failed to get up-and-down and was suddenly two down after only three holes.
Five holes later he collected his first birdie of the day.
Woods has been battling his swing all week.
He opened with a two-over 72 on Thursday but managed to pull some back thanks to a second round one-under 69.
Woods insisted before the start of the third round that he was still firmly in the championship.
“It’s the US Open. I’m hanging in there,” Woods said. “Because this golf course is so difficult you know the guys aren’t going to be shooting extremely low rounds. You’ve got to keep hanging in there and keep moving forward. If I keep doing that I’ll be all right.”
Mickelson, firm favorite to add the US Open title to his Masters championship in April, opened with a rock solid par.
American veteran Jeff Maggert joined Mickelson and Maruyama atop the leaderboard when he birdied the second.
The early starters got the best of the weather as the forecast warned that a front was moving through the area and the winds could get up to 20mph.
The first two days were wind-free, robbing Shinnecock Hills of its main defense.
Sergio Garcia, six back, Ernie Els, three back, and Vijay Singh, four back, all hoped the wind would strike.
But Garcia got off to the worst possible start, dropping three shots in his opening four holes.
A birdie at the fifth did little to bring a smile to his face as he moved backward.
It was little better for Singh.
The world No. 3, playing with Els, opened with three straight bogeys.
Els reached the fourth tee level for the day.
Even with the wind, the course is harder and faster than it has been all week.
J.J. Henry, four over for the championship at the start of the day, had a nightmare start.
Henry began bogey, bogey, par, double bogey, triple bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, birdie to reach the turn nine-over for the day. He finished with a 16-over par 86, with only one par in 18 holes.
The best of the early starters was Charles Howell who carded a two-under 68 to go three-over for the championship.
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington continued to struggle, going out in three-over and slipping further down the leaderboard. He finished with a six-over 76.
Six Players Fight for St-Omer Lead
Six players were tied for the lead after the top contenders were beset by problems in yesterday’s third round of the Aa St-Omer Open.
Overnight leader Carl Suneson of Spain, pre-tournament favorite Simon Dyson and his fellow Briton David Geall, who had the best score of the day, Massimo Florioli of Italy, Pasi Purhonen of Finland and Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin were tied on three-under-par 210, one stroke ahead of the field.
Suneson, trying to control his swing after taking a year off to rebuild his game, saved par from a tricky position at the last for a two-over-par 73 to give him hope still of a maiden full tour title, along with an 18-month exemption, in his 14th year of trying.
Dyson came the closest to breaking the deadlock but his 15-foot birdie attempt on the last hole rimmed the cup and the ball stayed out as he carded a 70.
At 62nd on the European money-list, Dyson, who led the Asian Open last month for three rounds before folding and finishing second behind Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, is the highest ranked player in France this week.
Now he has chance to make up for the 76 in Shanghai that cost him his chance of a first full European Tour title.
“I’m surprised to be sharing the lead but I feel I’m due a win,” said Dyson, who won the 2000 Asian order of merit. “I’m just going to go right at it tomorrow.”
While Lucquin, who shot a 69 in front of a sizeable home gallery, is touted as the latest French player to have a good chance for a title, and Florioli, with 69, has finished second twice on the full tour, Geall and Purhonen are rank outsiders.
