The
flags were raised to their regular height. The gallery was more enthusiastic with
cheers. Players whose spirits were lifted by the memorial service for Payne Stewart
managed to share a few laughs.
On a day when normalcy tried to return in the Tour Championship, the best indication
was Tiger Woods on his way to yet another victory.
Returning from a moving tribute to Stewart, Woods wasted little time moving into
the lead at Champions Golf Club on Saturday by making eight birdies in just about
every weather condition imaginable and taking a three-shot lead going into the
final round.
"I
came to an understanding, a resolve," Woods said of Friday's service in Orlando,
Fla. "And by doing that, today's round was a little easier emotionally than it
was on Thursday. Seeing Tracey (Stewart) speak from the heart ... that's incredible.
"If she can have that kind
of strength, then we should be able to do that easily."
Woods showed no effects from a stinger he suffered hitting a rock, finishing off
a round of 66 in a series of rainstorms and adding a 4-under 67 in the cool, blustery
afternoon to finish 54 holes at 13-under 200.
That puts him in great position to win his third straight tournament and seventh
in his last 10 starts - Woods has won the last 10 times after having at least
a share of the third-round lead, including last week at Disney World.
"How much better can I get?
Only time will tell, and only more hard work will show," Woods said. "Hopefully,
I will continue to get better."
Chris Perry made four birdies to complete a 64, and had a 69 in the afternoon
to finish at 203. Brent Geiberger was another stroke back after a 68.
Davis Love III, tied with Woods at 9 under when the second round was completed,
had a 73 in the afternoon and was in the group at 203 that included defending
champion Hal Sutton.
Because the PGA Tour canceled play Friday so players could attend the memorial
service for Stewart, 27 holes were played Thursday and Saturday, setting up a
regular 18-hole final on Sunday.
Remembrances of Stewart, one of six people killed in a freak plane crash on Monday,
were still evident. Several players wore bracelets that said "WWJD" - What Would
Jesus Do - which were handed out during the memorial service Friday.
Stewart wore the bracelet when he won the U.S. Open in June.
"Before
the memorial service, everything was up in the air," said Phil Mickelson, who
finished second to Stewart in the U.S. Open. "Now, we're at a point where we can
deal with it. The word you often use is closure. Today was the first day to try
to move on, and to deal with it as best as possible."
Flags that had been at half-staff all week returned to their regular height, and
most players felt more at ease having seen the strength of Stewart's widow, who
gave a moving tribute to the U.S. Open champion.
"To
end it the way she did - 'Let the party begin in heaven' - that said it all,"
Woods said.
Woods'
play also spoke volumes - with a stiff neck, no less.
Woods pinched a nerve when he tried to hit through a baseball-sized rock late
in the day on Thursday. Physical therapists said he would feel stiffness through
the weekend, but Woods already was feeling better. He arrived an hour before his
tee time and headed toward the trailer - but only to tell the therapists he wouldn't
be needing their services.
"I'm
not hardheaded," Woods said with a smile. "Just stubborn."
He's good, too.
Woods had three birdies on his first nine holes to get to 133, and it wasn't long
before he really poured it on. He holed a chip from 20 feet as the next batch
of showers raced across a pond fronting the green, then rolled in a birdie putt
from 15 feet on the next hole.
After more sunshine and showers, a cold front blew through when Woods and Love
made the turn and it felt more like the British Open.
"Windy,
hot, humid, cool, calm, cool, typhoonish," Woods said. "The only thing we didn't
have was an ark."
The cool weather at the end of the day made Woods' neck stiffen slightly, but
he still had a full range of motion - and he still has command of the Tour Championship.
Just when it appears he
can't get any better, he showed Saturday that there may be no limit to what he
can achieve.
The
last player to win three straight tournaments was David Duval at the end of 1997.
But Woods' dominance runs
much deeper than that. Since returning from his post-Masters break, he has finished
lower than seventh only once in 10 tournaments. A victory Sunday would be his
seventh on the PGA Tour this year, the most since Johnny Miller won eight times
in 1974, and push Woods' season earnings to over $5.6 million.
And there's still one tournament left, the World Golf Championship event in Spain.
Still, Woods' thoughts
were not totally beyond the memory of Stewart.
"Winning
would be a nice thing," he said, "but I don't think I'll feel quite as high."
DIVOTS: Woods said
he had no regrets about hitting through the rock on Thursday and risking an injury.
Asked if he would have done anything differently, he said, "Hit it harder and
make sure I got to the fairway." The trip back to Orlando for Stewart's service
allowed Woods to pick up a replacement wedge after the rock flattened the grooves.
... Andy Martinez, the caddie for Tom Lehman, wore a tam o'shanter cap on Saturday.
... Duval, who has said the "safe bet" was that he would not go to Spain next
week, did not enter the tournament by Friday's deadline. The only way he could
enter is by winning. "Just to leave you guys dangling," he said. Duval was eight
strokes back.
