The eight-time Major winner, despite missing eight fairways out of 14, fired a one-over-par 73 in blustery conditions at Whistling Straits.

He signed off with a par-four at the last, after getting up and down from spongy rough short of the green to post a seven-under total of 209.

Chasing his first victory at an event, where he has finished second three times in the last five years, Watson piled up four bogeys and three birdies to maintain control going into the final round.

Playing partner Loren Roberts, who had been one off the pace with two holes to play, is alone in second place at four-under after also carding a 73.

Britain’s Sam Torrance, the 2002 European Ryder Cup captain, returned a 71 to lie a further stroke back in third, level with American John Ross (70) and Argentina’s Vicente Fernandez (74).

Watson, whose glittering career includes victories at the Senior British Open in 2003 and 2005, began the day shakily by mixing four bogeys with a lone birdie to reach the turn in three-over 39.

He partially recovered with a birdie at the par-four 10th and picked up another shot at the 535-yard 16th to stretch his lead to one over putting magician Roberts.

Although Watson narrowly missed a birdie attempt from eight feet at the par-three 17th, he benefited from a two-shot swing when Roberts double-bogeyed the hole after his tee shot buried the ball in the greenside bunker.

Zimbabwe’s Denis Watson, winner of the Senior PGA Championship in May, shot the best round of the day, a five-birdie 67 lifting him into a six-way tie for sixth at two-under.

Reuters

Appleby, trying to win Isleworth neighbourhood bragging rights over new father Woods by taking his inaugural tournament, fired a two-under par 68 to finish on eight-under 201 at Congressional Country Club.

 But Appleby, who saw his four-stroke lead midway through his round halved by the end, discovered a hairline crack in the face of his custom-made driver on the 16th tee and has no similar spare available.

“It could have 50 shots in it. It could have one. It probably makes a bit of sense to see if I can rustle one up,” said Appleby.

“I should practice with a cracked one to see how long it goes before it literally explodes.”

South Korea’s K.J. Choi birdied 15, 16 and 17 to stand second on 203 with US veteran Steve Stricker (204), Canada’s Mike Weir (205), Lucas Glover (206) and fellow American Charley Hoffman and Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama (207).

“It was a demanding course. The greens definitely got faster. The respect level went to ‘pay attention,’” said Appleby.

“I was able to build a little bit of a lead but K.J. was able to tailgate and sneak up at the end.”

World No.1 Woods, a 12-time Major champion, struggled to a 69 to stand with fellow Americans Jim Furyk and Kevin Stadler and England’s Justin Rose on 208. Woods has never rallied from so far back so late to win a title.

“I’ve got to make a run and see what happens. I have to handle my own business first before anything can happen,” he said.

Appleby, trying to win a US tour event for the fifth year in a row, will not be checking out Woods on leaderboards.

“This course, if you look away, it will slap you real quick,” said Appleby.

“The biggest opponent is the golf course. If I can just relax and keep playing like I’m playing, I think I can squeeze a couple more birdies out.

“I’m not worried about Tiger. He’ll try to go as deep as he can. Everybody expects him to win. Everybody expects him to do some magic.”

Woods, who assembled the $US6 million ($7 million) event on less than four month’s notice, opened with a birdie and added another at the par-5 16th, before missing a 12-foot par putt at 18 to cost him his first bogey-free round since March.

“I turned a 63 or a 64 into a 69 very smoothly. The way I hit the ball and the putts I hit, it could have been a low one,” he said.

Woods lipped out a five-foot birdie putt at the 3rd, missed a 10-footer at the 4th, needed a 12-footer to save par at 6 and a 15-footer to save par at the 8th, then missed a five-foot birdie putt at the par-5 9th.

He blasted from a bunker to six feet and saved par at 12, left a birdie bid hanging on the lip at 13 and curled a 12-foot birdie try past the 14th cup. Another near-miss birdie at 15 left Woods gritting his teeth in frustration.

“I hit so many putts that looked like they were going to go in but they just didn’t fall. It’s frustrating. It really is. There’s no denying it,” he said.

“When you hit good putts and they look dead centre but they wander left or right, it’s very frustrating. You hit the putts you want on line with the speed you want and they don’t go in. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Woods said having to give Appleby his event’s trophy would convey bragging rights as well, but the Aussie expects such praise to be shortlived.

 ”I won’t get any more respect. I struggle to get any as it is from Tiger,” he said with a grin.

“He will be back at me. Trust me. He has got as quick tongue.”

Appleby and Choi began the day sharing the lead but the Aussie grabbed a two-stroke edge on the 1st hole, sinking a five-foot birdie putt while Choi missed a five-footer for par.

Appleby took a bogey at the par-3 2nd but answered with birdies on the 3rd and 5th and sank another at the par-5 9th.

Choi answered a bogey at the par-3 7th with a birdie at 8.

Appleby took bogeys at 11 and 12 but halted the slide with a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-3 13th to reclaim a four-stroke edge, and parred his way to the clubhouse, escaping a greenside bunker at 18 with a sand save.

A bogey at the 14th dropped Choi five off Appleby’s pace but the Asia veteran answered with three successive birdies and barely escaped water at the 18th before sinking a five-foot pressure par putt.

“The greens were very hard. Putting was very difficult. It was hard to guage the speed of the greens,” he said.

“It made the front nine very difficult but on the last nine I was able to come back very nicely.”

Agence France-Presse

Denmark’s Soren Hansen birdied the last three holes to set the pace, the second time in successive weeks he has led after three rounds.

Hansen sank putts of 15, 40 and 12 feet for a scintillating finish which earned a 63 and a 10-under tally of 200. Briton Robert Rock (66) is two strokes adrift in second place.

O’Malley, Sweden’s Niclas Fasth (70) and Peter Hanson (66), who recorded a hole-in-one with a six-iron at the 171-yard 18th, and France’s Gregory Havret (68) are one shot further back.

O’Malley said that avoiding the “penal” rough was key to his success.

“The wind was still there but the thing I have been doing well is not putting myself under pressure.

“I am hitting fairways and greens and I putted well also. If you play well here you can score here but if you hit off line you are going to rack up a score.”

Hansen was three ahead going into the final round of the French Open in Versailles last week, but two double-bogeys in the first six holes ultimately cost him his first victory since the 2002 Irish Open.

“Without a win for five years is a long time,” said the 33-year-old.

“But I will take it one step at a time because last week I was sitting here saying the same thing.”

A victory would cover a certain amount of embarrassment for Hansen, who forgot to enter this month’s Open Championship.

His only route to Carnoustie is to win here at the K Club or at next week’s Scottish Open. Fasth, who won last month’s BMW International Open in Munich, marred his chances of a second triumph in three weeks with a closing bogey.

Colin Montgomerie’s bid for a first victory in 19 months faded with two late bogeys that left the 44-year-old Scot four strokes off the pace.

US Open champion Angel Cabrera had a quadruple-bogey eight and a double-bogey five in his 74 as the Argentinean trails Hansen by 14 shots.

Reuters

The world No.1, hosting his inaugural tournament in his first event since becoming a father, bounced back from an opening 73 to stand on one-under par 139, six off the lead after 36 holes at Congressional Country Club.

“I’m back in the tournament and hopefully I can shoot another round in the 60s tomorrow and move my way up the board,” Woods said.

“I feel like I at least gave myself

a chance where if I play two good rounds I have a chance of winning the tournament, instead of having to play one great round or even two great rounds to get myself into that same position.”

Woods spent 45 minutes on the practice greens yesterday (AEST) adding weight to his putter, searching for more heft after putting woes in his first competitive round since daughter Sam Alexis was born June 18.

“I did some altering on my putter. I didn’t bend it,” Woods said. “I just put some lead tape on it and made it a little bit heavier, because the greens were a touch on the slow side, and had more of a weighty putter.

“I hit it about as good as I did yesterday. Only difference is I made a few more putts.”

Starting at the 10th hole, Woods birdied the 12th, took a bogey at the 15th but answered with a birdie at 16. He birdied the 1st but made a tough five-foot bogey putt at the 6th after sending his approach over the green.

Then came his impressive closing birdie run, a 12-foot putt at the 7th, an five-footer at the 8th and 12-footer at the 9th.

“I made that good save on six for bogey and then I just tried to keep that positive momentum going and I hit good shot after good shot on the last three holes, and lo and behold, three birdies in a row,” Woods said.

“It always makes dinner taste a little bit better and always makes you feel as if your day ended correctly. You may not have played well all day. If you seem to birdie the last hole it kind of puts all that kind of away somehow.

“To end up on three was even better.”

Woods shared 77th after the first round after making the cut in the 120-man invitational was a real concern. Now he might just take home the $US1.08 million ($1.26 million) top prize at the $US6 million ($6.99 million) event.

“I was just trying to get myself back in the tournament. I didn’t know what the cut was going to be. I was just trying to get to even par or under,” Woods said. “It was nice to get it under par. I feel like I did some good work.”

Woods expects hardening greens and brisk breezes to raise the challenge on a US Open-esque course to another level come the weekend.

“I was surprised the greens were this soft. If we can dry them out a little bit over the next couple of days, I don’t think the scores will be going too much lower,” Woods said.

“With the wind being up, it will be a pretty good test, because it gets in these trees and starts swirling and it gets hard to pick out which way it’s coming from. You can hit a good shot and just get just a completely bad break.”

Australian Stuart Appleby, a neighbour and close friend of Woods who shared the lead after 36 holes, said Woods is handling the responsibilities of fatherhood and tournament host without major headaches.

“People would love to think Tiger has got issues, problems or whatever, but he’s a normal guy, got his life very well balanced and understands he will now have to understand even more about personal life and commitments to family,” he said.

“It’s great for the top of the Tour to have someone like that who isn’t ‘blinging’ it up all over the place and saying and doing silly things. He has got his head screwed on well.”

Agence France-Presse

Eight-time European No.1 Colin Montgomerie shot the joint-best round of the week, a six-under 64, to finish one stroke off the pace alongside Swede Niclas Fasth who shrugged off a bad cold to fire a 68.

Edberg fashioned his five-under 65 on a windy morning at the K Club to move to eight-under 132 while Montgomerie and Fasth had to endure heavy showers in the afternoon.

Richard Green was the best of the Australians, four off the pace after rounds of 69 and 67.

Montgomerie’s switch this week to a belly putter earned rich rewards. He said the last time he had played as well was in 1999 when he won his seventh successive order of merit.

After an early three-putt left him worrying more about making the cut than winning for the first time in 19 months, the Scot’s belly putter helped secure seven birdies.

“The belly putter seems to be holing out better,” Montgomerie said.

“Everyone said how well I putted at the Ryder Cup in 2002 at the Belfry with that and I’m trying to go back to that kind of stroke.”

Fasth has more than the $US800,000 ($936,000) first prize to gain if he can emulate his BMW International Open victory in Munich two weeks ago, with a top-20 world ranking, second place on the order of merit and a ticket to the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth on offer.

“I’ve got a fever and stuff so I’m not feeling my most energetic,” the former Ryder Cup player said.

“I’ll try and rest and with a bit of luck I’ll feel better tomorrow. I’m going to give it a good go this weekend.”

US Open champion Angel Cabrera trailed Edberg by eight shots after a 69 but the Argentinean did not rule out a victory charge.

“We have 36 holes to come and anything can happen,” the 38 year old said.

Edberg is in unfamiliar territory and has adjusted his sights.

“I’ve never been in this position but I stayed pretty calm when I saw my name on the top of the leaderboard,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking if I can have a good week I can secure my tour card but now I’m hoping I can keep playing like today and do much better.”

Reuters

Risdon completed 54 holes at 15-under-par 198. He is two strokes clear of Pan Singhaseni, who notched a 68 in round three.

Second-round leader Alan McLean managed just a one-under 70 on Saturday. That dropped him into a share of third place at 12-under-par 201 with Derek Gillespie, who shot a four-under 67 for the third straight round.

Risdon flew up the leaderboard early as he birdied four straight

holes from the par-three second at Edmonton Country Club, including a hole-out birdie from a bunker at the fourth. From there, he cruised to nine consecutive pars.

The Calgary native pulled away as he birdied the 15th and 16th to get to 15- under. Risdon closed with a pair of pars to finish two clear of the field and wrap up his second straight bogey-free round.

‘I knew I had to back up Friday’s round, which can be hard to do after a day like that,’ admitted Risdon, who tied for 17th last week. ‘I didn’t want to change anything from the first two days. It seems to be working. I think last week was a big stepping stone for me. It gave me a lot of confidence.’

Josh Geary and Ben Hayes both fired rounds of six-under 65 Saturday to move into a tie for fifth at 11-under-par 202. They stand alongside Kevin Kim, Joseph Lanza and Mike Grob, who won the ATB Financial Classic last week. Dirk Ayers and Michael Harris are one stroke further back at minus-10.

© 2007 The Sports Network

McLean completed 36 holes at 11-under-par 131. He is one stroke clear of last week’s ATB Financial Classic champion Mike Grob (66), two-time winner this season Spencer Levin (66) and Pan Singhaseni (65).

McLean played the back nine first Friday and got going with birdies on two of his first three holes. He rolled in an eagle on the par-five 15th to jump to minus-nine at Edmonton Country Club.

The 36-year-old McLean birdied the first and

sixth around the turn for the second-round lead. He takes the lead into the weekend for the second straight week. He eventually finished second to Grob though last week.

‘The more chances you give yourself to win, odds are one will go your way,’ said McLean. ‘Anytime you play in the last group on the weekend, you have to be happy. But there are still 20 guys out here who can win this thing.’

Dustin Risdon fired a course-record, eight-under 63 Friday to jump into a share of fifth at nine-under-par 133. He was joined there by Luke Swilor, who shot 66 in round two.

Dirk Ayers, Glen Dick, Derek Gillespie and first-round co-leader James Love share seventh place at minus-eight.

Kristoffer Marshall, who shared the first-round lead with Love, stumbled to a two-over 73. That dropped him into a share of 33rd at four-under-par 138.

The cut fell at two-under-par 140 with 65 players moving on to the weekend.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Mexican PGA Championship winner Byron Smith, Alan McLean, Bret Guetz, Calvin Kupeyan, Michael Harris, last week’s ATB Financial Classic champion Mike Grob and two-time winner this year Spencer Levin are knotted in third place at minus-five.

Love flew out of the gate with four birdies over his opening nine at Edmonton Country Club. He tumbled to a bogey at the 12th, but the winner of the Fall Qualifying School had a good run at the end of the round.

Love birdied three in a row from the 15th, including a pair of putts inside six feet at the 16th and 17th.

‘I’ve really been struggling, so it feels great to play some solid golf,’ acknowledged Love. ‘I hit some loose shots on the back side; it was almost like I just wanted to get it in the house. It was pretty key to make a few coming in.’

Marshall, a 27-year-old American, made the turn at three-under-par 32 thanks to four birdies and a bogey at the sixth. On the second nine, Marshall recorded birdies at 10, 12 and 16 to join Love atop the leaderboard.

Greater Vancouver Classic champion James Lepp headlines a group of players tied for 10th place at four-under-par 67.

© 2007 The Sports Network

‘Equating to U.S. $8.4 million, this increased prize money reflects our goal of maintaining the position of The Open Championship at the forefront of world golf,’ said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A.

The first-place check will be for slightly over $1.5 million.

The British Open Championship begins July 19, 2007. Tiger Woods has won the last two claret jugs as the season’s third major returns to Carnoustie, the site of the 1999 event.

That year, Jean van de Velde famously squandered a three-shot lead on the last hole. He and Justin Leonard then lost a playoff to Paul Lawrie, the last European to win a major championship.

The trio tied at six-over-par 290 and the 1999 open is considered one of the most difficult major championships in recent memory.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Putnam won the qualifier with a four-under 136 total, beating John Senden and Ryan Moore by two shots.

In England, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell posted rounds of 67 and 64 to lead a qualifier at Sunningdale, where 16 players earned berths in the Open.

‘I certainly did not want to be sitting at home while The Open is going on,’ said McDowell, who finished at nine-under 131.

Charley Hoffman, Matt Kuchar, Anders Hultman and Brian Davis shared fourth place at Oakland Hills, coming in at one-under 139. Jerry Kelly and Sean O’Hair qualified another shot further back at 140.

Duffy Waldorf, Mark Hensby and Spencer Levin escaped a six-way playoff for the final three spots. Kevin Streelman, Robert Oppenheim and Steve Allan were the other three players at one-over 141.

The 15 players who qualified behind McDowell at Sunningdale were Peter Hanson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Nick Dougherty, Ross Fisher, Alastair Forsyth, Gregory Bourdy, Oliver Wilson, Benn Barham, Fredrik Andersson, Mattias Eliasson, Francesco Molinari, David Frost, Mark Foster, Jose-Filipe Lima and Peter Baker.

Last year’s European Ryder Cup captain, Ian Woosnam, was among the players who did not qualify at Sunningdale.

Camilo Villegas, Rocco Mediate, Jesper Parnevik and Steve Elkington highlighted the names of players who failed to qualify at Oakland Hills.

Thirteen more players earned spots in qualifiers held in South Africa, Singapore and Australia earlier this year.

© 2007 The Sports Network

And many amateurs know all about the slice where the ball starts straight and then veers off to the right.

Natural quirks in a golfer’s swing will mean the ball might move slightly left or slightly right through the air.

Golfers such as Colin Montgomerie learn to use this to their advantage but also learn how to move the ball in other ways.

Our troubleshooting guide will tell you why the ball is moving in a certain flight path and golf coach, Nick Bradley, will tell you how to correct it.

Click through the links on the right hand side.

You can also check our guides on the basic set up and how to swing the club.

Basic set up Learn how to swing