"Tiger leads; Singh gives chase"

5th October 2003:

WOODSTOCK, Ga.  -- One bad hole was all it took for Tiger Woods to lose a comfortable lead Saturday at the American Express Championship. One great round was all Vijay Singh needed to give himself a chance.

Woods chopped up the 16th hole and had to make an 8-footer for double bogey, finishing with a 1-under 69 that cut his lead down to two strokes.

Singh, who leads the PGA Tour money list and is about $475,000 ahead of Woods, was flawless off the tee and shot a 6-under 64 despite two bogeys over his final five holes.

``I could have gone lower, but 64 is a great number for me,'' Singh said. ``It's going to be a good boost for tomorrow.''

The $6 million World Golf Championship finally has some drama, although Woods could have done without it.

He still has the lead, at 8-under 202, and is nearly unbeatable in these situations. Woods is 29-2 on the PGA Tour when he has at least a share of the lead going into the last round.

``It's not easy going out there with the lead because you know everyone is coming at you,'' Woods said. ``But if I shoot the same score they do, I win.''

Still, he figures to face a stiff challenge from the big Fijian.

Singh was at 204 and will be paired with Woods in the final round at Capital City Club.

Tim Herron recovered from a double bogey when his tee shot slammed into a portable toilet left of the ninth fairway. He birdied three of the next four holes, finished with a 67 and was only three shots behind at 205.

Herron will be paired with K.J. Choi, whose 68 left the South Korean at 206.

``It's always fun to play with Tiger,'' Herron said. ``But there's probably less pressure, to be honest.''

Woods has not lost a PGA Tour event when leading after 36 holes since the 1999 Byron Nelson Classic, and the American Express appeared as though that trend would continue with little resistance.

He had a five-shot lead, was belting his new driver and holing his share of putts.

``I just made two mistakes I don't normally make,'' Woods said, referring to a three-putt on No. 8 and making bogey with a sand wedge in his hand on No. 11.

The Crabapple course was as easy as it has been all week -- an average score of 70.7 in the third round, more than three strokes below Friday's round.

Unlike the first two days, the brick-hard greens actually held well-struck shots, and the pins were more accessible. The result was more birdies and fewer complaints.

``Did it rain last night?'' Paul Casey asked jokingly after his 66. ``It's suddenly playable.''

No one took advantage quite like Singh.

He started the day seven shots behind, although every shot matters for a guy who is trying to win the PGA Tour money title.

Singh was aggressive from tee-to-green, picking up occasional birdies as he tried to chip away at the lead. For nine holes, he wasn't getting anywhere.

Woods made two 18-foot birdie putts, and when he nearly drove the 379-yard seventh and got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie, his lead was six.

But it all started to change when Woods and Singh were a mere 150 yards apart -- Woods lipping out a par putt from 6 feet on No. 8, while across the fairway, Singh was daintily raising his hand on the 10th green to acknowledge the gallery after another birdie.

Singh birdied the next two holes and was 7-under through 12 holes, and even missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 13th.

Woods, meanwhile, watched his lead fluctuate throughout the mild, breezy afternoon well north of Atlanta.

He backed off his par putt on No. 8 four times because of a yellowjacket hovering over his ball, then made his first bogey. A poor chip on No. 11 led to another bogey, and suddenly his lead was down to one shot.

Woods recovered with back-to-back birdies and restored his margin to four shots when Singh three-putted for bogey on the fringe.

Then, suddenly, Singh closed the gap again.

Woods' tee shot on No. 16 plugged into the left bunker, and he only managed to blast out some 65 yards into the first cut of rough. His approach plugged in another bunker, and he got that out to 60 feet.

He had to make an 8-footer just to save double bogey.

Up ahead, Singh rolled in his eighth birdie of the day on No. 17 to again cut the lead to one stroke, although he found the right rough on the 18th and made bogey.

More is at stake Sunday than just a trophy.

Singh is trying to take the money title from Woods, who's won it the last four years. A victory is worth $1.05 million, and whichever one of them wins Sunday will lead the money list.

Singh already has won three times this year; another victory would tie him with Woods and Davis Love III at a tour-leading four victories and thrust the Fijian into serious consideration for PGA Tour player of the year.