FAMILIAR POSE: Tiger Woods gives his patented fist pump after making an eagle on the 16th hole which enabled him to grab a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (AP)
ORLANDO, Fla. — The exclamation point yesterday came in the exact place where the low point took place a day earlier.
The 16th hole at Bay Hill is a 511-yard par-5 that might as well be a par-4 for PGA Tour pros with any modicum of length. The players at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational have been eating No. 16 for lunch.
Yet on Friday Tiger Woods bogeyed 16 — an irritating moment that led to a bogey-bogey-bogey finish to sabotage what looked like a special round.
“I was hot for a very long time [Friday],’’ Woods said, describing his anger level following the poor Friday finish.
Yesterday, having played another strong 15 holes, Woods eagled 16 to storm into a tie for the tournament lead at 11-under par.
He capped his round with a calmly struck, 10-foot par-save putt on the 18th to secure the lead outright at 11-under to 9-under for Rickie Fowler, John Huh and Justin Rose. Rose led in each of the first two rounds but shot a sloppy 72 yesterday with a 39 on the back.
So the greatest closer in sports history outside of Mariano Rivera will take to the first tee at Bay Hill (his pitching mound) for today’s final round (his ninth inning).
Woods has won 51 of the 55 career PGA Tour events in which he has entered the final round with at least a share of the lead. He has closed out 40 of the 42 tournaments in which he has taken the outright lead into the final round.
“I enjoy it. That’s why we play — to be in this position,’’ Woods said.
Woods is seeking his 77th career PGA Tour win in his chase to overtake Sam Snead’s all-time record of 82. He also is seeking his eighth career win at Bay Hill and his sixth win since he won the Arnold Palmer a year ago.
If Woods wins this tournament he will elevate to the No. 1 ranking in the world for the first time since he lost it on Oct. 31, 2010. His ranking plummeted to as low as No. 58 in November 2011.
Woods looked every bit the best player in the world during the catalyst moment of the third round — that redemption 20-foot eagle putt he buried on 16. As the putt disappeared into the hole, Woods delivered one of his patented demonstrative fist pumps. It had the feel of a “take-that’’ moment for his disappointing bogey there on Friday.
It was the third eagle of the tournament for Woods, who carded only four all last season.
Woods, who at one point yesterday was six shots out of the lead, was seven shots off the lead through 36 holes in the 2008 Arnold Palmer and won. A year later, he overcame a five-shot lead by Sean O’Hair in the final round to win.
So count him out at your own peril.
Woods will play the final round paired with Fowler, whom he played with in the last round at the Memorial last year when Tiger won the tournament with a closing 67 while Fowler shot 84.
“After Memorial I’m looking for a little redemption,’’ Fowler said after shooting 67 yesterday. “I’m feeling good about my pairing, about my game. [Woods] is definitely the guy to beat, but I’ll be right there to see what’s going on.
“With him having leads on courses like this, Torrey Pines and Doral … he’s basically never lost with a lead in the final round. So I’m going in there with the attitude that I have nothing to lose and we’ll see what happens from there.’’