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Valor at Valhalla Tiger still leads, but others within striking distance
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- Tiger Woods missed a short putt for his first double bogey in 153 holes Saturday, survived some errant shots and still led the PGA Championship by one stroke after three rounds. Woods finished with a 2-under 70 for a 13-under 203, while several others had big days to move into contention. Bob May shot a 6-under 66 and moved into a share of second place at 204 with Scott Dunlap, who shot 70 and stayed with Woods for the third straight day. J.P Hayes shot 68 and was next at 11 under, one stroke ahead of Australian Greg Chalmers, who climbed into contention with a 66. But the biggest move of the day was by two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, who tied a major championship record and led the 24 players who broke 70 with a 9-under 63. For Woods, it was his 14th consecutive major round at par or better, but it was nowhere near the kind of score available Saturday at Valhalla Golf Club. "I'm telling you, to shoot 70 as poorly as I struck the golf ball, that was pretty good," Woods said. "To have a one-stroke lead is kind of a bonus. A lot of players up there will make it more of a challenge and a lot more fun." Odds will still be with Woods in the final round, considering his closest challenger is not as experienced in major championships.
Woods, who missed only four greens in the first two rounds, missed four on the back nine alone. Instead of pulling away, he brought a lot of people back into the tournament. Pockets of roars resounded throughout Valhalla as Woods and Dunlap began their round, evidence that anyone could make a move because of the relatively soft greens and only a trace of wind. Almost everyone did. First came Tom Watson, the 50-year-old who never won a PGA to complete the Grand Slam. Watson holed almost every putt that mattered and tied the course record with a 65. That held up for only an hour. Along came Olazabal, who had an 81 a week ago in the Buick Open and began the PGA with a 76. He figured something out Saturday, and walked off with a 63 that could have been even better. Olazabal narrowly missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th that would have given him the record in major championships. Instead, he became the 18th player to record a 63, and the first since Greg Norman in the first round of the 1996 U.S. Masters. Others made a move twice -- up the leaderboard, then right back down. Phil Mickelson and Love each got to 9 under at the turn. Both played the back nine in 2 over and were at 209, along with Paul Azinger. Australian Stuart Appleby birdied six of the first 11 holes and was at 11 under until he was derailed by two bogeys sandwiched around a double bogey. After Watson finished his round, he described Woods as a phenomenon that golf "may never, ever see again," and predicted he would have opened up a four- or five-shot margin by the end of the day.
For awhile, that seemed inevitable. Instead, Woods must play one more round concentrating on another major, and not just another record.
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