By Karl Ravech
Special to ESPN.com
Saturday, August 19
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Interesting, very interesting.
Tiger Woods is the leader after 54 holes of play at the PGA Championship, but he shouldn't be. Poor putting and a failure to take advantage of the one-man army when his defenses were down cost both Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson a shot at a major. Scott Dunlap played admirably, but that won't get you the polish to shine the Wanamaker Trophy, let alone the real thing.
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| Scott Dunlap let many birdie opportunities slip away on Saturday. |
Dunlap should be winning by one or two shots. He missed makeable birdie putts on the 8th, 9th and 10th holes. But why cry over missed opportunities? There are still 18 holes to play, and for the first time since we arrived at Pebble Beach in June, we can say there is a reason to watch the final round other than to see how many shots Woods wins by.
This day began at 7:30 a.m., and Notah Begay III finished his second round with an eagle chip-in on the 18th. It was apparent then that this would be a day for scoring.
Tom Watson putted like Woods and tied the course record with a 65. An hour later, Jose Maria Olazabal shattered the mark with a 63. Olazabal said this round was as good as his incredible 61 at the 1990 World Series.
No one has ever shot a 62 in a major. Olazabal's birdie putt on 18 would have re-written the record books, but he missed by inches. Yet his 9-under 63 brings him right back into the tournament.
The fact is Woods is still within four shots of setting the all-time scoring record at the PGA Championship. A 5-under 67 will get him to 18-under for the week and give him the record with relation to par in all four major championships -- unless somebody else goes lower.
To the surprise of many, Woods' demeanor after his round was very controlled. He smiled more often than usual. We know cats have nine lives; it appears Tiger does as well.
His experience at Medinah last year gives him the advantage in the sense that he can win in a close race. His success in majors gives him the advantage in the sense that only Olazabal on the leaderboard has won a major before.
Stuart Appleby put it best when he compared Woods not to a Tiger but a Marlin: "The fish is still a little green, and even though he's in the net, you don't want to pull him into the boat yet."
Will we all be sitting around Sunday night talking about how Woods blew his shot at the PGA Championship, or will Saturday's slip be forgotten?
Human he is, frail he is not. His strength and length provide him with ample ammunition to beat up the golf course.
We've seen how Woods has matured. Five years ago, a round of 70 with his tempo out of control might have led to anger and frustration. Saturday it led to a smile and a wink that the game is on and that he is in it.
ESPN's Karl Ravech is sharing his PGA Championship thoughts daily on ESPN Golf Online.
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