GOT THE BLUE: Tiger Woods pumps his fist after burying a par putt on the fourth hole en route to taming the Blue Monster with a 4-under 67 to take a four-shot lead into the final round today at Doral. (
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DORAL, Fla. — Much has happened to Tiger Woods since his days of dominance. Injuries and personal scandal dulled Woods’ star and obliterated his aura of invincibility.
But this week in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, Woods has looked like the Tiger of old, making all the unwanted drama in his life from the last four years seem like ancient history.
In Saturday’s third round, Woods continued his relentless assault on his competitors and the Blue Monster — which has been handled with such ease this week it should be renamed the Blue Minnow — building a four-shot lead entering today’s final round.
Woods followed his 66-65 two-round start with a 4-under par 67 yesterday to stand at 18-under, four shots clear of Graeme McDowell (14-under) and five ahead of Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker (both 13-under).
In the 54 times Woods has held at least a share of the lead going into the final round of a PGA Tour event, he has won 50 times.
You get the picture: Don’t bet against Woods on Sunday.
Through three rounds, he has a remarkable 24 birdies (a career best in 54 holes), has won four of his past 18 tournaments (after going 0-for-26 from September 2009 to March 2012) and is homing in on his 76th career victory and seventh at this event.
“When he gets the lead in a golf tournament, it’s tough … you know what kind of closer he is,” Stricker said. “He doesn’t let too many guys in usually when he gets the lead.”
Woods methodically added to his two-shot lead at the tournament’s halfway point (he’s 26-5 in his career closing out a 36-hole lead) by carding birdies on his first three holes of the day. It looked like the rout was on.
“Tiger didn’t look like he was going to do anything wrong,’’ McDowell said.
McDowell, Woods’ playing partner, hung in for much of the day before faltering on the back nine with a bogey on No. 10 and a double on No. 14.
McDowell briefly tied Woods for the lead on the first hole when he rolled in an eagle putt to move to 13-under. Two minutes later, though, Woods made his birdie putt to take a one-shot lead and never trailed again.
McDowell began to slip when he three-putted the 10th green, carding his first bogey of the tournament after going 45 holes without one.
McDowell saved his round with an eagle on the 16th hole when he drove the green. Woods gave a stroke back on 17 when his tee shot got stuck in a tree, leading to an unplayable-lie drop and bogey. But Woods put his exclamation point on the day with a birdie on 18 to regain the four-shot lead.
Mickelson knows how daunting the task is to chase Woods when he has a big lead.
“I’m going to need a flawless round, a Pebble Beach-type round, something in the low 60s,’’ Mickelson said, referring to the 64 he shot to win the AT&T National Pro Am last year when he dusted Woods in the final round.
As badly as he wanted to get into the final pairing with Woods, Mickelson said playing in the group ahead of him “might be a blessing, because there have been many times here at Doral where the winner has come from a group or two in front of the leaders.’’
Woods hardly sounded intimidated.
“Sometimes guys get off to early starts and make runs,” he said, “and sometimes conditions allow that to happen, so I’ve got to go out there and adjust and go get it.’’
Woods was his typical dismissive self when asked if he feels his game is as good as it was in 2000.
“Well, I don’t want it to be as good,” he said. “That was never the intent. I want it to be better.”