Tiger tumbles as Ogilvy leads

Published 1:10 am Sunday, December 17, 2006

Geoff Ogilvy moved into contention with a fast start Saturday in the Target World Challenge. He wound up alone in the lead thanks to a sloppy finish by tournament host Tiger Woods.

Ogilvy birdied four of his first seven holes, then hit 8-iron inside 2 feet on the final hole for birdie that gave him a 5-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Woods (70) and Chris DiMarco (68) going into the final round of the final tournament of the year.

Ogilvy was at 11-under 205.

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Woods birdied his first two holes in a cold, miserable rain, shared the lead with Ogilvy through sunshine on the back nine, then got a huge break on the par-5 16th that ultimately worked against him.

He pulled his 3-wood so far left that it was headed toward a hazard when it caught a cart path and wound up against the curb, giving him free relief on the side of the hill. Instead of laying up, he had just enough of an opening to go for the green, but blocked the next 3-wood into a hazard, and swung hard just to escape into a bunker. He failed to save par, however, slipping back into a tie for the lead.

Woods had to scramble just to stay within one shot of the U.S. Open champion. He blocked his tee shot in the trees, played a blind shot beyond the green and hit an 80-foot pitch to 6 feet to save par.

DiMarco birdied his last three holes for a 68 and was at 206, earning a spot in the final group Sunday, a good chance to end another winless year on the PGA Tour with a $1.35 million consolation prize.

Henrik Stenson was tied for the lead through 12 holes, but took two double bogeys and wound up five shots behind after a 73. The Swede found two greenside bunkers on the par-5 13th to take double bogey, then hit a drive so far right on the 18th that he wound up playing down the adjacent ninth fairway. His third shot was in the collar of a steep bunker, and he did well to get that one on the green.

Paul Casey shot 70 and was at 209, with David Toms (68) another shot behind.

DiMarco was in the B-flight of this tournament until a 10-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, followed by a 40-foot birdie on the 17th that pushed him within one shot of the lead. On the 18th, he hit 7-iron from 155 yards that spun back just enough to catch a ridge and stop 6 feet away, giving him his third straight birdie.

He was tied for the lead for as long as it took Ogilvy to tap in a 20-inch birdie putt on the final hole.

Woods’ birdie on the 13th gave him a three-shot swing with Stenson’s double bogey, and the outright lead. Woods kept that until the 16th, and now has one round to try to get it back.

Ogilvy got into the mix not by opening with back-to-back birdies — Woods did that, too — but with birdies on the sixth and seventh holes, both during a cold, steady rain that made those holes tough.

Woods, meanwhile, plodded along with pars until ending his 27-hole streak without a bogey by making one from the right rough.

The battle for last place comes down to Adam Scott (8 over) and Luke Donald (6 over).