Els moves ahead as weather bites

Mother Nature took over the British Open on Saturday, sweeping aside golf's prodigal son.

Playing through the most brutal Open conditions in recent history, Tiger Woods recorded his worst round as a professional -- a 10-over-par 81 that likely ended his run at the Grand Slam.

"Yeah, probably," said Woods, who called the round one of the two most difficult in his career.

With winds whipping at 30 miles an hour, rain falling sideways and temperatures dipping into the low 50s, Woods reached 80 for the first time since he turned pro in 1996.

With a 54-hole total of 6-over 219, he is 11 shots behind South African Ernie Els, who rebounded once the weather lifted and escaped a logjam of players by reaching 5-under 208.

"I'm just happy to be in the house," said Els, a two-time U.S. Open champion who twice has finished second at the British Open.

Els shot a 1-over 72 and is two strokes ahead of Denmark's Soren Hansen, who carded a 73. He's alone in second at 3-under 210.

"I can't remember playing even for fun in this weather, so I'm pretty pleased with it, really," said Hansen, who won the Irish Open last month for his first victory on the European Tour.

Seven players are tied for third at 211, but only two -- 1994 champion Justin Leonard and Justin Rose of England -- broke par, and they were in their hotel rooms well before the storm hit.

In fact, only nine of the 83 players that made the cut found red numbers, and each teed off by 5:20 a.m. EDT -- about four hours before the wind began to whip around Muirfield Golf Links.

Muirfield played to an average of 74.164 strokes Saturday -- 2.60 more than the second round.

Spanish star Sergio Garcia, Shigeki Maruyama of Japan, Scott McCarron, Thomas Bjorn of Denmark and 49-year-old Irishman Des Smyth also are at 211.

There are 21 players within five strokes of Els, including defending champion David Duval, Retief Goosen of South Africa and Nick Price of Zimbabwe at 213.

"It's certainly going to be an exciting finish tomorrow," said Price, the 1994 champion who shot a 75. "There's a lot of players up there who have a good chance to win."

While it rained most of the day, the wind arrived just as Woods and Mark O'Meara teed off at 9:30 a.m. EDT and lasted some three hours.

Everyone was affected. Players turned to baggy rain pants, jackets and winter caps while fans turned for cover, leaving Muirfield's bleachers mostly empty.

"At one part out there, about the fifth or sixth (hole), I was just hoping to get in alive," said England's Ian Garbutt, who shot a 74 and is tied for 14th at 213.

"I had like four different jackets in the bag and my caddie thought we were going to have to have to take a trolly just to carry my extra clothing," McCarron said. "I think I went through about all of it by about the fourth hole."

The conditions showed in the scores as 10 golfers failed to break 80. One was Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, who matched the worst two-round swing in Open history, following a 64 with an 84.

Woods came close.

Golf's biggest star was just three strokes off the pace after carding a 68 on Friday, but had seven bogeys, two double-bogeys and just one birdie en route to his 81.

"These conditions are so tough, you're seeing the best player in the world, possibly the best player to play the game have a very difficult day," said McCarron, who fought through a 72.

The conditions might have been the worst Woods had ever experienced -- even more trying than those during his 79 at the 1996 Australian Open and his 77 at the 1998 British Open.

"It was either this or the Australian Open in '96 when it was blowing like this," he said. "But obviously, the golf course wasn't set up like this."

In order to keep alive his quest for the Grand Slam, Woods would have to record the greatest final-round comeback in Open history, which doesn't seem likely.

"There is too many guys between me and the lead, and all I can do tomorrow is go out there and shoot a low number and see what happens," said Woods, who has won six of the last nine majors. "But you never know."

Paul Lawrie erased a 10-shot deficit in 1999 at Carnoustie, winning a three-way playoff after Jean van de Velde's memorable collapse.

Everyone seemed to collapse Saturday, especially after the storm swept off the eastern coast of Scotland onto Muirfield. It left just in time for some players to regain respectability.

One was Duffy Waldorf, who began the day tied for the lead, went out in 45 and came home in 32 to stay within five strokes of Els.

"I've seen it be calm in the mornings, blow in the afternoons, but I've never seen it like this," Els said. "It was like night and day."

Els also righted the ship just in time to gain sole possesion of the lead. After a key six-foot par put at the 10th hole, he birdied four of the last eight to pull away from a handful of players.

"There were more playable holes out there for us," said holes, an Open runner-up in 1996 and 2000. "And I hit some good shots."

He didn't on the front nine, bogeying four of the first six holes as an avalanche of players succumbed to the conditions. Els played the front nine in 7-under on Friday.

"I was quite surprised on the front nine," he said. "Myself and Shigeki, we kept dropping shots and they wouldn't take us off the leaderboard, so I felt pretty good about that."

He also feels pretty good about his chances of winning, although the crowds at Muirfield may not get the same type of enjoyment when better weather settles in Sunday.

"I'm sure the Scottish people really enjoyed it today, watching us play," Els said. "They must have really been laughing because they probably play in this 80 percent of the time."

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