Tiger within striking distance at Wyndham

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Tiger Woods teed off for Saturday's third round of the Wyndham Championship chasing one opponent. Tom Hoge, his playing partner and co-leader after two rounds, was also in the hunt.

Woods began well, hoping to continue the success he found in the first two rounds. A 64 on Thursday and a 65 on Friday made for the best two-round score of his season.

Early starter Jonas Blixt moved to 12 under for the tournament, so Woods was behind when he teed off at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. Until Saturday (AEST), Woods hadn't led a tournament since winning the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone.

Here's a look at Tiger's third round.

 

Hole 1: Woods' second shot hit the green 11 feet from the cup. He planted a birdie putt.

Hole 2: After running a birdie putt past the hole, Woods carded a par.

Hole 3: Another par, this one by sinking a 5-foot putt. Meanwhile, Blixt remained at 12 under through 16 holes. A 7-under round saw Blixt rise 31 places on the leaderboard. Justin Leonard was 5 under through 14 and 11 under, along with Jason Gore and Hoge.

Hole 4: As Woods eyed a birdie, Blixt moved to 13 under through 17. Woods parred his third consecutive hole after missing a long putt.

Hole 5: This is a par 5. Having hit his second shot to with 55 feet of the cup, Tiger putted for an eagle and settled for a birdie to regain a tie for the lead. Blixt finished his round, so Woods had a chance to run up a lead. Hoge was even through five. Gore, Charl Schwartzel, Paul Casey, Brandt Snedeker and Davis Love III also were 11 under.

Hole 6: Another par 4 that had Woods flirting with a birdie and settling for a par. He was 13 under, with Gore and Snedker at 12 under.

Hole 7: Woods faced a 27-foot putt for birdie on this par 3. He settled for par. Hoge fell off a shot and was tied for eighth at 10 under.

Hole 8: Having hit an iron off the tee, Woods found the rough. He knocked down another par putt to stay at 13 under. Gore moved up to tie for the lead through 14 holes. He was 6 under for the round.

Hole 9: A par 4. Woods kept leaving his approach shots short, forcing long birdie putt attempts. This time, it was from 11 yards to the cup. Playing it safe? A par for Tiger, who made the turn at 13 under. Blixt had five birdies on the back nine, where players found scoring easier.

It was a day for shotmakers.

Hole 10: Not a good start; Woods was forced to take a drop after a bad second shot. His chip went past the hole. Fist punch: His 24-foot putt falls for par. Chalk this up as Woods' save of the day. Gore moved to 13 under through 14. Webb Simpson joined the pack at 12 under. Carl Petterson birdied the first three holes on the back nine to match Simpson.

Hole 11: Gore moved to 14 under through after 15. Shades of shankapotomus, Hoge landed his tee shot on a cart path. After two drops that saw the ball return to the asphalt, he got to place his ball. Woods faced a 19-foot birdie putt. It swung left and rolled past the hole. Gore shorted a birdie putt on No. 16. Tiger birdied. Hoge parred and was at 11 under.

Hole 12: A par 3; Woods left his iron off the tee to the right. It was a makeable birdie putt. No dice; it was par for Tiger. And for Hoge, a bogey.

Hole 13: Tiger birdied this par 4 his first two rounds. He had a 13-foot putt for birdie. Woods swung it left to right but the ball curled off the right lip of the cup. Par.

Hole 14: Another 4; Tiger parred it the two previous rounds. Gore birdied No. 18 to finish 15 under. Woods hammered his tee shot 318 yards down the middle. His approach went nine yards wide right, and his putt was wide right as well. Par.

Hole 15: This is a par 5, and Woods needed a birdie. A thought: We were writing Tiger's professional epitaph after the PGA Championship. Now he is playing a solid if unspectacular round of golf — one he would have given his Tiger headcover to have at any point this season.

After a solid tee shot, Woods hit it way right. Landing place, Admiral?

Out; birdie putt went right. Par.

No. 16: Tiger had a 12-foot putt for birdie on this par 3. Birdie, and Woods moved into second place.

Hole 17: Uh-oh, Tiger didn't like his second shot. But a nice approach save left a 4-foot par putt. On to ...

Hole 18: Woods had gone 28 holes without a bogey as he walked to the tee. This round was the third in a row in which Tiger looked confident, stepping up and not hesitating unless he was studying his shot. He didn't have the luck this round that saw putts roll into the hole, and his approach shots left too many long putts. But Woods will hit the course on Sunday wearing his red shirt and playing for a championship.

His approach on 18 was an example of his luck. Woods got too much turf with his club. A clean, straight-on second shot would have set him up for a birdie. From 40 feet, his birdie putt went well left and six feet long. It looked like he had par, but the ball did a 270 on the cup rim. Bogey. Woods finished at 13 under, in a three-way tie for second.

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