Tiger Woods, who had played himself into contention with his Friday round despite a sore lower back, failed to make any sort of positive movement yesterday, shooting a 1-over-par 72 to fall six shot out of the lead.
Most shocking, though, was Woods’ putting. For the first time in his illustrious PGA Tour career, Woods three putted four greens. If his putter had been sharp, Woods would be close to the lead entering today.
“Trust me, I was certainly frustrated,’’ Woods said. “I kept telling myself, ‘I’m right in the ballgame.’ Nobody was running away with it. I played the way I needed to play. I played a beautiful round of golf. Unfortunately I didn’t clean up on the greens.”
“I’ve never seen greens change like this, from what they were [Friday] to [yesterday]. The grass even seems slippery. It was unbelievable how fast they got.’’
Woods, despite the deficit, refused to concede his chances of winning.
“If I play a really good round of golf … anything can happen, [because] these finishing holes are not easy,’’ Woods said. “Hopefully [today] I can put it together.’’
* Phil Mickelson, who was coming off his disappointing second-round 74 on Friday, shot a 4-under-par 67 yesterday to move himself back into within final-round striking distance if he’s able to find that low round he’s been seeking for weeks.
“For me personally it was good to get a good round in,’’ Mickelson said. “It built some good momentum after a day [Friday] where I had lost a little bit of confidence.’’
* Kevin Stadler is one great round of golf away from winning the first PGA Tour event of his career.
Stadler, the son of former fan favorite Craig “The Walrus’’ Stadler, stands three shots out of the lead entering today’s final round after carding the low round of the day yesterday at 65.
Stadler said he felt as good as he has in awhile with his putters, saying, “I was knocking them in the middle, so it’s definitely good for the confidence to make a few.’’
Stadler’s career win resume is spotty. His only victories as a pro have come on the Web.com Tour, where in 2004 he won the Lake Erie Charity Classic at Peek ‘n Peak Resort and the Scholarship America Showdown and in 2006 he won the Xerox Classic and Albertsons Boise Open. He, too, won a 1999 Champion’s Challenge with his father, Craig Stadler.
His best PGA Tour finish to date is a pair of runner-ups in the Reno-Tahoe Open and Wyndham Championship.
His best finishes this year are a tie for fourth in the RBC Heritage, a tie for seventh in the Puerto Rico Open and a tie for ninth at the Honda Classic.
“My results this summer have been pretty poor, but I’ve been striking the ball really well,’’ he said. “I’ve been just kind of waiting for the putter to come around. I hit it pretty good [yesterday]. The first two days was the worst I hit it all summer and the putter kept me in. It was nice to match them both up [yesterday].’’
Stadler built his confidence early in the round, carding birdies on Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 en route to a 31 on the front nine.
“An ideal start to say the least,’’ Stadler said.
When he played No. 18, the boisterous New York fans serenaded him with chants of, “Stads,’’ as he approached the green.
“It was cool,’’ he said. “Any time you play well in front of the crowds out here it’s a fun day. I obviously a need another good round to make any noise [today]. I love where I’m sitting compared to where I was [yesterday] morning.’’
