By Mark Lamport-Stokes
SAN FRANCISCO, June 16 (Reuters) – Very little went right
for Tiger Woods during Saturday’s third round at the U.S. Open
as he fell out of a tie for the lead to end a frustrating day at
the Olympic Club five strokes off the pace.
In pursuit of his first major victory in four years,
three-times champion Woods struggled with his putting, often
found himself in between clubs for approach shots and repeatedly
missed fairways off the tee by very slight margins.
The former world number one, who had been joint top
overnight with fellow Americans Jim Furyk and David Toms, piled
up six bogeys and just one birdie for a five-over-par 75 to
finish at four-over 214 in a tie for 14th.
As Woods made his way up the hill to the Spanish-style
clubhouse to sign his card, he bumped his hand into a
photographer’s camera but later said that his wrist was “fine”.
After speaking to reporters, the 14-times champion
immediately headed off to the practice putting green to work on
his short game.
“I struggled on the greens today, quite a bit,” Woods said
after being outscored by his playing partner Furyk by five
shots. “They looked quick, but they putted slow.
“But they were firmer than they were yesterday so it was a
tough feel for me to adjust. And it was just one of those days
where I was right in between clubs on about every single shot.
“I just never quite had the right number.”
Continued…
