Tway doesn't
have to be told how good Tiger Woods is or how often he has won to realize the
challenge that awaits in the final round of the National Car Rental Classic.
"He has a lot of attributes
that I will never have," Tway said this afternoon.
Just don't look for Tway to start waving a white flag. Even
a loss to Woods the last time they went head-to-head is a reminder to Tway that
he is capable of winning a tournament for the first time in four years.
They were paired in the
second round of the Match Play Championship in February and staged a brilliant
duel. Neither led by more than one hole, and Woods hung on for a 1-up victory
only when Tway missed a 10-foot par putt on the final hole.
"If
you're able to hit the good shots and make some putts, then anything can happen,"
Tway said after his 6-under 66.
He'll get a chance to prove that Sunday, when he and Woods go into the final round
at Disney tied for the lead with the rest of the field unable to keep up with
another birdie barrage on the Magnolia course.
Despite failing to birdie a par-5, Woods holed two long putts on the back nine,
including a 40-footer for birdie on No. 18, for his third consecutive 66 that
put him with Tway at 198.
"I'll
sleep a lot better tonight because of that putt," Woods said.
The odds will favor Woods winning for the sixth time in his past nine tournaments.
He has been playing better than anyone since May, and Woods has won the last nine
times in which he had at least a share of the lead after 54 holes.
"If he's on and you're on,
he's probably going to beat you," Tway said.
Tway, the 1986 PGA champion who hasn't won since 1995, has been equally sharp
this week with rounds of 67 and 65 and has not made a bogey in 42 holes.
"I don't know if you're
ever due," he said. "I have chance tomorrow. I have nothing to lose."
He also has plenty to gain.
A victory Sunday would likely move Tway from No. 56 on the money list into top
30 and qualify him for next week's $5 million Tour Championship for the second
year in a row.
"That
would be another good year if I get into the Tour Championship, and it would be
nice to win," he said.
Brad Faxon had 10 birdies in a round of 64, the best score of the day, and was
tied with Franklin Langham at 202. Jim Carter, tied with Tway and Woods at the
start of the day, made a double bogey on 18 for a 71 that dropped him to 203 along
with Loren Roberts and Jay Delsing.
Woods figures those are the only players who have a realistic chance of winning,
especially the way the Magnolia course is yielding birdie chances.
Woods certainly had plenty of those on a breezy day at Disney. He made two putts
inside 4 feet on the front nine and also had his share of lengthy putts -- a 30-footer
on No. 12, and the 40-footer on the final hole.
He made two nice par saves, flopping a wedge over the posts with Mickey Mouse
ears that grazed the cup on No. 15, and making a 6-footer on the ninth when he
missed the green to the right. His only glitch came on his most powerful shot
of the day -- a 377-yard drive on the 14th.
"Killed
it. Absolutely killed it," Woods told caddie Steve Williams.
He also killed his eagle putt, and missed the 4-footer coming back for a three-putt
par.
Tway doesn't
have that kind of length -- not many do -- but is no less capable of stealing
Woods' thunder outside the Magic Kingdom.
He didn't reach any of the par-5s in two, but Tway made five of his six birdie
putts from inside 15 feet and looks poised to end a four-year victory drought.
"I'll go out there
and try to continue to do what I've been doing, and hopefully good things will
happen," Tway said. "Obviously, Tiger is a great, great player. We're all out
here to win tournaments. I don't know if it's a good chance or not, but I have
a chance."
Woods,
meanwhile, will try to become the first player since Tom Watson in 1980 to win
six times on the PGA Tour -- he also won in Germany in May, giving him six titles
worldwide.
"I'd
like to get six, seven and eight would be nice," he said, looking ahead to the
Tour Championship and the World Golf Championship tournament in Spain. "I'm pleased
with the way I'm playing."
DIVOTS:
Steve Elkington, 33rd on the money list, had a 71 and is four strokes out of fourth
place. He needs to finish at least that high to get into the Tour Championship,
played on his home course in Houston. ... Mark O'Meara became the first casualty
of the final World Golf Championship event, saying he is better off taking two
weeks to regroup than make another trip across the Atlantic. "I feel bad I'm not
going, but you can only do so much," O'Meara said. David Duval has also said he
probably won't go to Valderrama, although he left open the possibility if he has
a chance to win the money title. ... Scott Hoch plans to play somewhere next week.
Hoch, who had a 67 on Saturday and was tied for 10th, needs to finish at least
fourth to have a chance to make the Tour Championship. Just in case he doesn't,
he signed up for the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in Mississippi.
