Golf: YOU CAN BANK ON TIGER AGAIN; WOODS GIVING EUROPE'S BEST A GOLF

TIGER WOODS is set to inflict another roasting on Europe's elite in their own Tournament Players Championship here today.

The world No.1 switched on the turbo-power to surge to a 67 and a two-stroke 54-hole lead in the Deutsche Bank Open at Gut Kaden yesterday.

And now the richest prize outside The Open - pounds 270,000 - looks destined to be heading back across the Atlantic for a second successive year.

Europe's biggest hitters - Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and Italian Emanuele Canonica - share second spot at seven under, along with Australian Geoff Ogilvy and halfway leader Miguel Angel Jimenez.

But if the record books are any guide, they haven't a hope of halting the latest Woods rampage.

The American has won the last 13 tournaments in which he has led going into the final round, and, after his supercharged birdie fours at the 15th and 17th, he declared ominously: "I am hitting it better day by day, and now I am almost near my best game."

Amazingly Woods, who captured this title by three strokes in Heidelberg last year, is playing this one with an experimental Nike ball instead of his usual Titleist brand.

"I am pleased with the way I am controlling it, especially into the wind," he said. Irishman Clarke, who defeated Woods in the final of the Andersen World Matchplay event earlier this season, kept alive his hopes of completing a unique matchplay-strokeplay double over the world's finest by charging to a 68.

But although he has only once been out of the top four on the Hamburg course, he admits he is up against it in the last round.

"Tiger was always going to be the man to beat," said the burly Ulsterman. "He can fly his ball over bunkers we mere mortals cannot reach.

"But I have hung in there well even though you have to be incredibly patient on difficult greens like these where a six-foot putt can break three ways." Westwood, who has rediscovered his appetite for the game after a poor start to the year, overhauled overnight leader Jimenez with five birdies in an outward 32 that edged him into the lead.

But he could not hang on and three putts at the 14th and another bogey at the last sent him back alongside the 22-year-old Ogilvy, who had five birdies and an eagle in his best-of-the-day 66.

Yet Westwood remained upbeat. "Sure I know about Tiger's record but I have got a good chance and I am looking forward to tackling him," he said.

"I'm not bad at coming from just behind. I won the Dutch Open and the European Open last year by doing that."

Indeed, Woods would be wise to keep one eye on his pursuers because no less than 21 players are within four shots, including a revitalised Colin Montgomerie and hot-shot Swede Jesper Parnevik, who beat Woods last week in Dallas.

European No.1 Monty profited from a putting lesson from guru David Leadbetter in shooting 68.

Monty was inch-perfect at the last when he struck a superb three- iron from 207 yards for his sixth birdie, having notched a pair of twos from 20 feet at the 14th and 16th.

"I am looking for a good last-round score to give me confidence for the PGA Championship at Wentworth this week," he said.

THIRD ROUND LEADERS

207

T Woods 70 70 67

209

G Ogilvy (Aus) 72 71 66, D Clarke 72 69 68, L Westwood 71 69 69, E Canonica (Ita) 69 69 71, MA Jimenez (Spa) 67 69 73

210

S Kjeldsen (Den) 77 67 66, P Mitchell 71 72 67, L Parsons (Aus) 71 72 67, J Van de Velde (Fra) 69 71 70, R Goosen (Rsa) 68 71 71, P McGinley 73 65 72

211

A Cabrera (Arg) 75 69 67, R Jacquelin (Fra) 71 72 68, C Montgomerie 73 70 68, J Parnevik (Swe) 70 73 68, I Woosnam 71 71 69, P Lawrie 68 73 70, MA Martin (Spa) 69 71 71, P Baker 71 69 71, M Campbell (Nzl) 74 66 71, G Orr 73 66 72

212P Harrington 73 70 69, R Rafferty 72 71 69, D Hospital (Spa) 69 74 69, P Price 72 69 71, B Davis 72 68 72, D Howell 71 69 72, S Webster 72 67 73

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