honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 12:40 p.m., Thursday, March 20, 2008

Golf: Ogilvy, Jimenez stay ahead of Tiger, for now

By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer

DORAL, Fla. — The way Tiger Woods has been playing, former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy figured he would have to stay ahead of him each day if he wanted to win the CA Championship.

Never mind that he was tied for the lead.

With one round on the Blue Monster in the books today, Ogilvy was two up on Woods.

Ogilvy continued to shake off the rust by playing bogey-free in a round of 7-under 65, taking advantage of a generous shift in wind that turned the fearsome 18th into a pushover. He hit wedge into 8 feet for one last birdie, and Miguel Angel Jimenez also birdied the final hole to join him atop the leaderboard.

"You know starting the week if you want to win the tournament, you're going to have to beat him because you know he's going to be in contention come the last nine holes here on Sunday," Ogilvy said. "It's just one of his happy places, obviously. If I can just be one in front after every round, that will be pretty good."

One shot out of the lead was Stewart Cink, who has played in the final group at three tournaments this year and is playing more consistently than anyone but Woods.

Woods wasn't all that bad.

Undefeated since September, he made a late charge as the skies darkened and rain began to fall, making three birdies over four holes to get within one shot. His day ended bitterly, however, when he three-putted from 70 feet for a 67.

All is right in his world, with six official victories over the last six months, but Woods lives for the moment, and his lasting memory of today was missing a 5-foot par putt. He said nothing during a long, winding walk up the stairs, forcing a smile and reaching for his pen when a security guard asked for his autograph.

And how about that 67?

"I didn't really do anything all that special today," Woods said. "I just kind of hung in there and took care of the par 5s, and made a couple of other birdies here and there. But all in all, just kind of ground it out."

If it wasn't anything spectacular and he still was only two shots bad, that would seem to bode ominously for the rest of the 78 players gathered at Doral for this World Golf Championship.

But there was a sense after one day that no one was going to lay down.

Phil Mickelson rallied from a double bogey in the water with four birdies over his final six holes to match Woods at 67, and they were joined by Adam Scott.