MIAMI – It’s not over until Tiger Woods says it’s over. But the reality is that it almost certainly is.
Woods will need a miraculous finish – along with a little help today – when the weather-delayed final round of the WGC-CA Championship concludes today at Doral’s Blue Monster.
To win his eighth consecutive tournament and sixth PGA Tour event in a row, Woods will have to overcome a five-stroke deficit with seven holes to play.
If he’s able to overcome the daunting deficit, it’ll further the legend that grew to even greater proportions last week at Bay Hill, where he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational with that theatrical 24-foot walk-off putt.
If Woods can’t deliver a dose of comeback magic today, it will end up being a highly anti-climactic ending to one of the most impressive streaks in golf history.
Following the suspension of play last night at 7:20, when Woods was asked for a comment, he declined to be interviewed, saying only, “I’m done.”
He meant “done” for the day, but he might as well have meant “done” for the tournament – as is his incredible streak.
When the tournament resumes at 8:30 a.m. today, it will be Geoff Ogilvy’s to win. The 2006 US Open champ enters his final nine holes at 17-under-par, two shots better than Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh. Retief Goosen and Graeme Storm are three shots back.
“I guess if I go out and play a great back nine and am 3 or 4-under, it’s going to be pretty hard to catch me,” said Ogilvy, who along with Singh was in the fairway on the 10th hole when play was suspended.
Asked about Woods lurking in a tie for eighth place, Ogilvy said, “He obviously, in his own mind, I’m sure he probably thinks he has a chance. We’ve seen him do some crazy things before.”
Indeed, Woods never can be counted completely out. He’s had some signature comeback moments in his historic career.
* Earlier this year, he trailed Ernie Els by four shots with nine holes to play at Dubai and won the tournament.
* In the 2006 Deutsche Bank, Woods entered the final round trailing Singh by three shots and won by two.
* Perhaps his greatest comeback ever came at the 2000 AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, where he won after he trailed Matt Gogel by seven shots with 11 to play.
* In 1998, he vanquished Els in a playoff at the Johnnie Walker Classic after entering the final round trailing him by eight shots.
* At the 1997 Mercedes Championship, he entered the final round trailing Tom Lehman by four shots and beat him in a playoff.
Woods trailed by five shots because of his play in the third round, which was completed yesterday morning because of a weather suspension on Friday. While much of the rest of the field was making big moves up the leaderboard, Woods ran in place as if on a treadmill, settling for a 72.
Of the top 32 players on the leaderboard at the end of the third round, only Woods failed to break par.
Ogilvy, meanwhile, had increased his lead with a 68, Singh and Storm had shot 8-under-par 63s and Furyk and Goosen were carding 64s.
“I had four harsh lip-outs,” Woods said after his third round. “That was the difference. If those go in, I’m only one back.”