Golf: Leonard grabs lead as Woods struggles

CHASKA - Justin Leonard grabbed the third-round lead at the US PGA championship yesterday when Tiger Woods failed to mount a charge.

The world No 1 was left five shots back and with a lot of work ahead if he is to capture his third major of the year.

Leonard, who began the day tied with four others at the top of the leaderboard, fired three birdies on the back nine to take sole possession of the lead at nine-under. He has a three-shot advantage over the unheralded Rich Beem going into today's final round.

Fred Funk sits a further shot back at five-under with Woods and Mark Calcavecchia is one shot further adrift.

The 1997 British Open champion's three-under 69 was one of just four sub-par rounds recorded on a wild day at the Hazeltine National Golf Club as fierce winds howled across the monstrous 6730m layout.

While others floundered in the wind, Leonard, who grew up in Texas playing in similar conditions, struck the ball with precision and authority.

As the long day drew to a close Woods still had Leonard within his sight, poised just two shots behind the Texan through 14 holes.

But while Leonard closed with birdies on 15 and 16 and pars on 17 and 18, Woods struggled home and carded his only bogey of the day on the final hole.

Indeed, Woods' hopes of becoming the first to win three of the year's four majors in a single season for a second time may well have unravelled with his drive off the 18th tee that sliced right and ended up against the side of hospitality tents.

Having saved pars with dramatic putts on 16 and 17, Woods was out of miracles on his final hole.

"I hate to end it that way," he said. "It really ticks me off but overall I felt I hit the ball pretty well today."

In all eight of Wood's major championship wins he has held at least a share of the lead going into the final round.

But if the 26-year-old is to add the PGA to the Masters and US Open titles he has claimed this season and become the first to complete what is being billed as the American slam he will have to do something he has never done before and come from behind to claim the title.

"That's the challenge," said Woods. "All I have to do is just play well and make putts."



The players were greeted by gale-force winds as they began their day by finishing the weather-delayed second round.

But Woods, who saw his grand slam hopes washed away by driving wind and rain during the third round of last month's British Open, was unruffled by the conditions, finishing his second round with a par on 17 and a spectacular birdie on the par-four, 418m 18th.

Woods looked in trouble when his tee shot off 18 landed in the fairway bunker 192m from the green.

But he calmly blasted his way out of the trap, over a stand of trees on to the green where he drained a tricky 6m putt, pumping his fist in delight as the large gallery roared its approval.

"That was one of the all-time great birdies I have ever made right there," said Woods.

New Zealand's pairing of Craig Perks and Michael Campbell are well off the pace.

Perks shot a two-over 74 yesterday to sit at 222, while Campbell, who was in contention at the start of the day, flopped with a 77 to be at 220.

* Annika Sorenstam stretched her lead to six shots after a bogey-free 68 in yesterday's third round at the Compaq Open in Helsingborg, Sweden.

Sorenstam, eager to make up for the British Open flop last week when she missed her first cut in 75 LPGA tournaments, played flawless golf before a record gallery of 19,000.

Sorenstam has a 15-under-par 201 total going into final round at the Vasatorp course in southern Sweden.

Second-placed Laura Davies, a former two-time US Open champion, had a 66 for her best score in the tournament that she won in 1999 on a course outside the Swedish capital Stockholm, Sorenstam's hometown.

Her English compatriot Johanna Head was alone in third place at 208 after a 70. New Zealand's Lynette Brooky was equal 25th on 215 after a 69 yesterday.

* Scotland's Catriona Matthew leads the Canadian Women's Open at six-under 210 on the Summerlea Golf and Country Club course in Vaudreuil-Dorion, southwest of Montreal.

Three players are three shots back, Australian Michele Ellis, Gloria Park and Se Ri Pak of South Korea. New Zealand's Marnie McGuire is on 225, after rounds of 74, 76 and 75.

* Gales disrupted the North West of Ireland Open at Ballyliffin yesterday, forcing a 36-hole final day today for the second successive week on the European Tour.

Winds up to 64km/h caused two suspensions yesterday.

Italian Costantino Rocca, who produced the performance of the day in shooting 71 in gales on Friday, leads on four-under-par, compatriot Massimo Florioli is three-under, a stroke better than Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin and Scotland's Andrew Coltart.

- AGENCIES