Tiger Woods of old showed up for the third round of the Tour Championship.
The 42-year-old Woods birdied six of the first seven holes and even though he cooled off, he shot 5-under-par 65 to take a three-stroke lead over top-ranked Justin Rose of England and fifth-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland after 54 holes at East Lake Golf Club (https://www.eastlakegolfclub.com) in Atlanta.
“I was hitting it absolutely dead flush,” said Woods, who has 79 victories on the PGA Tour, the last coming in the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational before he underwent four back surgeries. “If I could have added one more (birdie) on the back nine, it would have been great. … It’s a golf course that’s very easy to make bogeys and it’s difficult to make birdies. My game plan throughout the week has been very conservative, and occasionally I’ll get hot for a couple holes and try to take advantage of it. It hasn’t been real complicated.
“Simple math says that if I play a clean card, the guys behind me have to shoot 67 to force it into extras. That helps. I don’t have to shoot 63 or 64 and hope I get help. That’s a big difference. This is a spot I’d much rather be in than certainly four or five back.
“I’ve gone through a lot this year to get myself to this point. But, if history is any guide, the wait may soon be over.”
Woods, who can claim the FedEx Cup for a third time if he wins on Sunday if Rose finishes in a tie for fifth or worse, didn’t stumble until he made the first of his two bogeys at No. 9 and he added a birdie at No. 12 en route to a score of 12-under 198 through three rounds.
Rose, who is second in the point standings, carded a 68 while playing alongside Woods, while McIlroy, the 2016 FedEx Cup champion, birdied two of the last three holes for a 66.
Seventh-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain totaled 68 and is six shots back in a tie for fourth with Kyle Stanley, who birdied the last hole for a 67, while 2014 FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel had a 69 and is seven down in a tie for sixth with Tony Finau, who wound up at 67, and Paul Casey of England, who came in at 66.
Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State, defending champion in the Tour Championship, shot 68 and is tied for ninth with third-ranked Dustin Johnson (67), fourth-ranked and defending FedEx Cup champ Justin Thomas (70), Gary Woodland (68) and Aaron Wise (67) of Lake Elsinore.
Ninth-ranked Rickie Fowler is tied for 17th after a 73, eighth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau, the FedEx Cup points leader, rallied with a 66 and is tied for 21st, while second-ranked Brooks Koepka totaled 67 and is in a tie for 25th with sixth-ranked Francesco Molinari of Italy, who had a 69.
Phil Mickelson, who has won twice at East Lake, struggled to a 76 and is last in the 30-man field.
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