Australians Robert Allenby and Craig Parry threw an Antipodean angle into the equation in the third round of the World Golf Championships – NEC Invitational at Sahalee Country Club, Seattle. The pair from ‘Down Under’ share the lead going into a potentially exciting final day in which the top 20 are separated by only six shots.
Allenby, the joint halfway leader with American Steve Lowery, shot a level par 71 for a ten under par total of 203 as fellow countryman Parry made the most significant move with a round of 66.
They are one stroke clear of American Fred Funk while two of this year’s Major Champions, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods made the sparks fly in their grouping by both shooting 67s to sweep into contention on 205, just two off the pace.
England’s Justin Rose was unable to make a forward move, carding a one over par 72 for 206 and a tie for ninth place, despite at one stage early in his round being in second, just a stroke off the lead.
Nevertheless, the 22 year old remains in the hunt for his first title in the United States on only his second start ‘across the pond’. Going into the last round, though, any one of the top 20 or so players still have a chance, particularly if they can emulate Allenby’s course record of 63 from the second day.
Allenby was the best of his three ball, in which Lowery shot 73 and Retief Goosen a disappointing 74. The former European Tour Member admitted that his score should have been “about three shots better” but that his inability to sink the putts had played several players into the tournament.
“I’ll be going out tomorrow with the frame of mind that I have to be aggressive” he said. “I know I have to shoot something like five under to win. That’s the goal since there are so many players close to the lead.”
Allenby admitted he was amazed that his friend, Parry, has not won on the US PGA Tour. He said: “He came so close to the Masters a few years ago and I thought then that he was going to go on and do some huge things. But you never know what happens in this game.”
Parry, who had missed his last four cuts before arriving in Seattle, conceded he was “exasperated” at having been unable to locate the winners’ enclosure in the USA. He commented: “Of course it matters. I’m sure it’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of ‘when’.
“I’ve put myself in position before and stumbled or other guys have chipped in one me and played some freak shots. That’s the way it goes. I’m just knocking on the door again.”
After two days of stuttering along in second gear, Woods found his form and is in a challenging position for a remarkable fourth successive victory in the WGC- NEC Invitational.
Three early birdies in his third round, then four more in the space of six holes at the start of the back nine took Woods all the way from 17th place into the joint lead. But then came a finish which made him part of the chasing pack again.
At the short 17th Woods pulled his tee shot into sand and failed to get up and down. Then on the 535 yard last he hooked his drive, could not go for the green and pulled his third shot into a patch of dense rough, from where he fluffed his chip.
Els, after successive 67s, said: “I wanted to get to ten under par today but eight isn’t bad. I feel I am swinging much better again and getting my momentum going.”
Rose is still very much in the chase. He birdied the long second and climbed into a share of second spot at that point, but he could not follow it up. Bogeys came at the fourth and sixth and after holing a nine foot putt on the 13th he bogeyed the next two.
"I think it's a good result that it's still all to play for," he said. "It does not look like anybody wanted to win today and it's become all bunched up. I think it's going to take a low round to win and I'm going to have to eliminate the poor shots I hit today.
"I made some bogeys from the middle of the fairway and that's not like me. Twice I had a wedge in my hand. My putting did not feel comfortable. I changed the grip on my putter at the start of the week, but my hands were sticking and I might change it back now.
"Tiger won't be happy with his finish, but we have all the makings of an exciting last day now and I'm looking forward to it."
Darren Clarke had eight birdies, but also five bogeys and had to make an 18 footer for par on the last and a round of 68 that left him five behind.
"I said I was going to hit the driver a lot this week and have a bit of fun and I've done that," he commented. "Unfortunately there were too many bogeys along with the birdies."
