Tiger Woods season could have easily been over after the World’s top-ranked golfer banged his right hard against a large umbrella tree on day three of the Turkish Airlines Open.
Woods went into the penultimate round of his penultimate event this year just one off the lead but once again, it was the longest club in his bag again causing the biggest problems.
Tiger Woods in the trees during the third round of the Turkish Airlines Open. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
The 14-time Major winner was finding spots on the Colin Montgomerie designed course not on Monty’s original design plans.
At the 10th Woods was in the trees right of the fairway but managed to find the green in regulation while he sprayed a drive way right at the next, the par five 11th, clearing the large line of spectators and with his ball lying close to a tree.
Woods pulled out a 3-wood but brushed the tree hard and then immediately jumping back in shock and shaking his right hand vigorously.
The visiting American missed also missed the 12th fairway way right while he was up against a tree after another wayward drive at 16.
At the last, Woods had to play a provisional after an even more errant drive left off the tee at 18 but from where he managed to find his ball but was then afforded a free drop when he second shot landed on a pedestrian walkway.
He then played an 8-iron to 15-feet left of the flagstick for birdie.
When quizzed after his round if he had injured his hand in playing the shot at the 11th he responded: “My arm is a little tender. I smoked it on something. I don’t know what I hit but I hit something hard.
“I just dealt with it, and you know, just play through it.
“I won’t need any treatment as anti-inflams will be good.”
Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, 23 and who was once dating a St. Andrews girl, jumped five shots clear of the field in posting a nine under par 63.
The Andora-based Dubuisson is no stranger to going low as he enjoys the Old Course record in shooting a 10-under par 62 in last year’s Alfred Dunhil Links Championship.
However his biggest fear now will be Ian Poulter who shot a 68 to be in second place at 16-under and with Woods a shot back and tied with Spain’s Alejandro Canizares (66) and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (69) and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin who set a new Maxx Royal course record of a 10-under par 62.
Dubuisson said: “I will try not to think about tomorrow as it would put too much pressure on myself,” he said.
“But I know Tiger and Henrik will shoot very low scores, so I have to keep the same strategy. I have a five shot lead, but with all these great players, tomorrow will be a very tough day.”
Glasgow’s Marc Warren (69) is the best of the Scots sharing 14th place on 11 under par while Stirling’s Craig Lee (69), and one shot back at 10-under par, needs only to hold his top-25 position and the assurance of competing in this coming week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Lee said: “I haven’t been able to check the scores as I lost my laptop on the way over and left it in the plane.”
“I could have a look at the standings but it’s not going to change the way I play. All I am going to do is keep going the way I am and stay in the present.
“A nice low tomorrow would be nice but then a nice low one any day would be always welcome. But whatever it takes, I will take that. If someone says that a final round 74 would get me in then I will take it.”
