A ROUGH DAY: Tiger Woods struggled during — and after — the third round of the U.S. Open, reacting after a shot on the 16th hole and bumping into the camera of a photographer and banging his hand (above) after finishing his round at 5-over. (REUTERS)
A ROUGH DAY: Tiger Woods struggled during — and after — the third round of the U.S. Open, reacting after a shot on the 16th hole and bumping into the camera of a photographer and banging his hand after finishing his round at 5-over. (
)
SAN FRANCISCO — Control is fickle. One minute you have it, the next it’s gone. It’s a mysterious and maddening thing when you think you’re in control and then realize you’re not.
Just ask Tiger Woods, who for two days owned his golf game and yesterday looked like he had been renting it Thursday and Friday.
Woods, who built a reputation for being perhaps the most ruthless closer the game of golf has ever seen, was in control entering yesterday’s third round of the U.S. Open at Olympic Club with a share of the lead.
Historically, when Woods has a piece of a major championship lead, he doesn’t share it for long.
Woods is 8-for-9 winning majors after he has had at least a share of the 36-hole lead. Of his three U.S. Open wins, two have come after he held the 36-hole lead (2000 and 2002). In the 42 previous 36-hole leads Woods has held in his career, he has gone on to win all but twice.
You get the point. Woods entered yesterday in supreme position to win his 15th major championship. After shooting a shocking 5-over-par 75 to stand at 4-over for the tournament, he will begin today’s final round five shot out of the lead, which is shared by Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk at 1-under.
So if Woods is going to end his four-year drought without a major he will have to do it by coming from behind — something he has never done in a major.
“It was just a tough day on the greens, just a tough day overall,’’ Woods said.
Woods’ spotty third-round performance, which included six bogeys and only one birdie, was a departure from the way he had played the first two rounds, when he made very few mistakes.
It, too, was a break from Woods’ norm in a major. He has traditionally used “moving day’’ Saturdays to make moves up the leaderboard, not fall back.
In his 14 major championship wins, Woods’ third-round scoring average is 68.29. He’s had 12 rounds under par in that span, two at even par and, before yesterday, had never shot a round over par.
Despite his disappointment yesterday, Woods refused to declare himself out of it.
“I’m definitely still in the ball game,’’ he said. “I’m only five back and that’s certainly doable on this golf course for sure. I’m just going to have to shoot a good round, and post early and see what happens. There’s going to be a bunch of guys there with a chance.’’
Furyk, who played with Woods yesterday, is not counting him out.
“He’s come from farther back before,’’ Furyk said. “Five shots is not a lot to make up in a U.S. Open. I don’t think he looked that far off. It’s just stuff happens at U.S. Opens sometimes.’’
Yesterday was the four-year anniversary of Woods’ last win in a major, at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Woods’ previous longest drought without a major championship was the two years and 10 months between his 2002 U.S. Open win at Bethpage and his 2005 Masters win.
Woods’ day began ominously with a bogey on the first hole. It didn’t get much better. He was short with his approach on Nos. 3 and 6 and took a pair of bogeys. He three-putted No. 8 for another bogey.
His worst moment came on No. 18, where he stubbed a green-side birdie chip and left it 18 feet away for a par putt that he missed. Climbing the hill toward the clubhouse after his round, Woods banged his hand into a photographer’s camera. He grimaced and shook his hand but said he was fine.
McDowell, who shot a 2-under 68 yesterday, fared much better on 18, where he stuffed his approach shot to within four feet and drained the birdie putt for the outright lead at the time.
Furyk, playing one group behind McDowell in the final pairing with Woods, answered with a birdie on 17 to tie for the lead.
Furyk and McDowell each have won a U.S. Open, Furyk in 2003 at Olympia Fields and McDowell two years ago at Pebble Beach. The two will play together in the final round. Woods will chase, seeking that control he had Thursday and Friday. If he finds it, then he can resume his chase of history.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com