Woods happy to smile through pain

A DODGY knee is probably the only thing that can prevent Tiger Woods from winning the US Open.

Woods has never been beaten after leading into the final round of a major golf championship, but several shots clearly caused him considerable pain during the third round at Torrey Pines.

Of course, it did not stop him from producing three late miracles and playing the final two holes in a mere three under to charge to the front with one hole to play.

"Boring round of golf, right?" Woods quipped after overcoming a double bogey at the first hole to card 70 and move within sight of his 14th major title.

He posted a three-under-par 210 total, one stroke ahead of Englishman Lee Westwood and two in front of American Rocco Mediate.

Westwood was entirely comfortable with his own position.

"You pretty much accept when you come to a major championship and you're in the last group on the last day nowadays, you're probably going to be playing with Tiger Woods. I'm very pleased, it's just the position I wanted to be in," said the 35-year-old, who carded a one-under-par 70. "I didn't really have too many expectations coming in here, just to try to put myself into contention and give myself a chance to win the US Open. I'm doing exactly what I wanted to do, so I'm very pleased."

The former world No. 4 has posted five top-10 finishes in major championships, his best effort fourth place in the 2004 British Open at Royal Troon. No European has won the US Open since Englishman Tony Jacklin in 1970 at Hazeltine.

Woods' stunning finish considerably hurt the chances of Australians Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Allenby, four and five strokes behind respectively.

"It's more sore today," the usually secretive Woods said of his left knee, which was operated on two months ago.

"If I get that shooting pain, it's always after impact, so I just kept telling myself to go ahead and make the proper swing if I could. If pain hits, so be it; it's just pain."

Woods was having a ho-hum day until the par-five 13th where, after pushing his drive, he found a perfect lie in the trampled rough, and smashed a five iron to the back fringe, before reading the putt perfectly, stroking it home dead centre from 20 metres.

If that was a pure stroke, his pitch-in from 10 metres from the rough at the 17th was a lucky birdie, causing him to laugh rather than engage in a patented display of fist-pumping.

"A lot of luck was involved," he said.

"The shot on 17, that had no business going in the hole. I hit it too hard. It came out hot and one-hops in the cup. You've got to be kidding me."

And he also had a piece of luck at the par-five 18th, where he sank a 12-metre eagle after watching fellow competitor Robert Karlsson putt first on a similar line.

"It was nice (that) I saw Robert's putt. I didn't know it broke that much at the end," said Woods, who went to school and proved a quick learner.

Ogilvy has not given up hope of winning, although he spoke before Woods took the lead. "Obviously, I'd love to be in the lead, but four shots could disappear in three holes," said the 2006 champion. "The amount of shots isn't as important as the amount of people."

There are only three players ahead of Ogilvy, but Woods, unfortunately, is one of them.

"He's obviously the hardest golfer in the world to beat when he's up in contention. I'm sure he's going to be hard to beat."

Allenby also was not ready to throw in the towel. "If I can keep calm and play natural golf and use my ability as a ball-striker, there's definitely birdies out there," he said.

"I know I'm hitting the ball great from tee to green and if I get the putter hot, I can make a lot of birdies, even on a US Open course."

Halfway leader Stuart Appleby has no chance after shooting a disastrous 79 to fall eight strokes off the pace.

A four-putt double bogey at the fifth hole seemed to drain his confidence, and he never got it back.

Phil Mickelson's slim hopes for a maiden US Open victory on a course he has played countless times since his youth were scuppered by an ugly quadruple-bogey nine. He finished 12 strokes behind Woods.

US OPEN — 3rd ROUNDTiger Woods 72 68 70 Lee Westwood 70 71 70

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-1 Rocco Mediate 69 71 72 Geoff Ogilvy 69 73 72

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DJ Trahan 72 69 73 Hunter Mahan 72 74 69 Camilo Villegas 73 71 71

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Robert Allenby 70 72 73 MiguelA Jimenez 75 66 74 Robert Karlsson 70 70 75

Aaron Baddeley 74 73 71 Stuart Appleby 69 70 79 Rod Pampling 74 70 75 Adam Scott 73 73 75 Jarrod Lyle 75 74 74 AGENCIES

OTHER AUSTRALIANS

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