Tiger blows big lead - tied with Chalmers and

Nitties with a round to go in Aussie Masters

Who would have believed it? Tiger Woods, with a clear lead at halfway in the Australian Masters, blew it - and not just gradually but all of a sudden.
Woods scattered his three-stroke advantage over six holes today and by the end of the round the world No 1 was happy to salvage a share of the third-round lead with Greg Chalmers and James Nitties.
It was not the Tiger that turned up for the first two rounds, over which he attracted galleries six-deep in places.
He hit one poor shot after another, put himself in bad positions and had to scramble for an even-par 72. The difference perhaps between Woods and many others who have blown a clear lead is that he is still very much in with a chance. It all depends on what game he takes with him to the Kingston Heath, Melbourne course on Sunday for the decisive round.
'I'm very fortunate to be tied for the lead. I could have played myself out of the tournament,' Tiger was honest enough to admit in the post-round interview.
Chalmers, who hasn't won in his native Australia since 1998, had a 69 despite missing a 6ft par putt on the 16th hole and a birdie putt on the 18th from about the same range.
Nitties, frustrated early as putts refused to fall, played bogey-free for his 69 and will give Kingston Heath an All-Australian final pairing.
Not only did Woods lose his lead, he lost his cool.
After missing a 5ft birdie putt on the 12th, he hit his driver well to the right on the 354yd 13th hole. Woods threw his driver into the ground and it bounced up and into the gallery, where one surprised fan caught the club and returned it.
"That was my mistake," Woods said. "I got hot and let go of the club."
He wasn't in the best of moods even before he teed off. Woods had what he described as a terrible session on the practice range. He took that game to the course, missing most of the shots to the right, starting with a 3-iron into the hay on the easy par-5 opening hole that he failed to birdie for the first time all week.
It never got better.
His lone birdies were a 35ft putt on the second hole and a two-putt on the 14th. With a chance to take the outright lead, Woods missed a 10ft birdie try on the final hole to remain tied at 10-under 206.
"Today was reflective of how I warmed up," he said. "I'm very fortunate to be tied for the lead. I played myself into a tie. I could have played myself out of the tournament."
If he fails to win Sunday, it would be the first time in his career that Woods has blown 36-hole leads in three straight tournaments. He had the halfway lead at the US Tour Championship and was tied after 36 holes last week in Shanghai, both tournaments won by Phil Mickelson.
The challenge now comes from an Aussie duo that was steady throughout the overcast day at Kingston Heath, which kept the greens relatively soft. Thirty-two of the 77 players who made the cut managed to break par.
Woods is playing Down Under for the first time since the Presidents Cup in 1998, and he has returned to record-setting crowds that have made Kingston Heath feel like a major, with fans climbing trees for a good view.
Suddenly, that 11-year anniversary is taking on a different meaning. That's how long it has been since Chalmers won before the home crowd, and his odds are looking far better than they were Friday when Woods had a three-shot lead.
"I don't think anybody is sort of sitting around trying to hand the trophy to anybody else," Chalmers said. "I think everyone is fighting to shoot the lowest score they can."
Nitties spent the first two rounds playing behind Woods, coping with fans who are allowed to stand in crosswalks and surround every green that Woods plays.
He gets to play behind him again Sunday, and that's a good thing, for he no longer trails. Nitties, who easily kept his PGA Tour card in his rookie season in America, was surprised that he was playing in the final group without Woods joining him.
"I want to be playing with Tiger. He's my idol. It's disappointing," Nitties said. He paused, then smiled before adding, "It's not that disappointing."
Along with being tied for the lead, Nitties is hopeful he can contain his emotions playing before the largest gallery of his career.
"It's a special kind of week," he said.
Woods, who received a $3 million appearance fee to play the Australian Masters, stretched his lead to four shots with his long birdie putt on the second hole. He went 12 more holes before making another birdie.
His lead was gone four holes later as Jason Dufner outplayed him with three straight birdies. Dufner took the lead for the first time with a 40-foot birdie putt on the eighth, only to scramble for a bogey on the ninth. He didn't make a birdie the rest of the way, dropping shots on the 16th and 17th for a 71 to tie for fourth at 8-under 208 with Cameron Percy of Australia.
Still in the hunt is Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim, who already earned his PGA Tour card for next year by winning three times on the Nationwide Tour. He shot a 69 for 210 and was four shots behind, along with Stuart Appleby, who had a 71.
Adam Scott made a double bogey late in his round of 69 and was at 5-under 211, on the periphery of contention.
Woods is only hopeful he got his bad round out of the way.
"There was no gray area. I didn't have any shots that were borderline," he said.

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
206 Tiger Woods (USA) 66 68 72, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 68 69 69, James Nitties (Aus) 66 71 69
208 Jason Dufner (USA) 70 67 71, Cameron Percy (Aus) 67 72 69
209 Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 71 70 68, Tim Wilkinson (Nzl) 71 71 67
210 Scott Laycock (Aus) 72 68 70, Michael Sim (Sco) 70 71 69, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 71 73 66, Ashley Hall (Aus) 69 69 72, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 69 70 71
211 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 71 70 70, Adam Scott (Aus) 71 71 69, Alistair Presnell (Aus) 72 73 66, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 72 67 72
212 Mathew Goggin (Aus) 68 70 74, Seve Benson 71 71 70
213 Craig Scott (Aus) 71 72 70, Wade Ormsby (Aus) 71 69 73, Leigh Mckechnie (Aus) 73 71 69
214 Manny Villegas (Col) 70 68 76, Peter Nolan (Aus) 68 72 74, Rick Kulacz (Aus) 69 76 69, Branden Grace (Rsa) 66 75 73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 73 72 69, Steven Bowditch (Aus) 71 68 75
215 David McKenzie (Aus) 70 72 73, Gary Murphy 71 73 71, Richard Green (Aus) 72 71 72, Andre Stolz (Aus) 71 74 70, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 71 73 71, Sam Little 71 71 73, Matthew Griffin (Aus) 71 75 69
216 Mahal Pearce (Nzl) 71 68 77, Josh Younger (Aus) 72 73 71, Michael Long (Nzl) 71 75 70, Anthony Brown (Aus) 72 72 72, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 72 73 71, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 71 74 71
217 Richard Bland 71 73 73, Andrew Tampion (Aus) 71 75 71, John Senden (Aus) 73 69 75, Michael Wright (Aus) 73 73 71, Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 73 68 76, Callum Macaulay 75 71 71, Ewan Porter (Aus) 71 76 70, Steven Jones (Aus) 72 75 70
218 Jason Norris (Aus) 73 74 71, Kurt Barnes (Aus) 70 73 75, Doug Holloway (Nzl) 67 74 77, Peter Wilson (Aus) 73 73 72, Adam Groom (Aus) 73 70 75, Lee Slattery 69 74 75
219 Marc Leishman (Aus) 72 73 74, Matthew Millar (Aus) 71 76 72, Craig Parry (Aus) 70 76 73, Aaron Pike (Aus) 74 73 72, Craig Spence (Aus) 72 75 72, Andrew Tschudin (Aus) 73 72 74, Heath Reed (Aus) 77 68 74, Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) 75 72 72, Paul Sheehan (Aus) 73 72 74
220 Frank Power (Aus) 74 70 76, Adam Bland (Aus) 72 75 73, Andrew Bonhomme (Aus) 73 74 73, Ryan Haller (Aus) 70 74 76, Matthew Giles (Aus) 74 69 77
221 Aaron Townsend (Aus) 75 72 74, Miles Tunnicliff 74 72 75
222 Rohan Blizard (Aus) 69 76 77
223 Marcus Fraser (Aus) 74 73 76
224 Simon Furneaux (Aus) 73 74 77, Ryan Hammond (Aus) 75 72 77, Kim Felton (Aus) 76 71 77
225 Terry Price (Aus) 73 72 80
226 Damien Jordon (Aus) 69 78 79