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The Cat Aims to Tame the Tiger in Germany!
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The Cat Aims to Tame the Tiger in Germany!

Eduardo Romero, the man they call ‘El Gato’ – the cat – aims to get the cream in the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe when he carries a slender one stroke lead into the final round at St.Leon-Rot.

However, stalking him all the way will be World Number One, Tiger Woods, who once again displayed his remarkable competitive instinct, firing a third round 63, nine under par, to occupy second place along with long-time leader Michael Campbell.

Romero carded a 66 for a 17 under par total of 199, while Campbell spilled four shots in the closing six holes to allow himself to be caught by Woods, the champion at St.Leon-Rot in 1999.

The Argentinian licked his lips at the prospect of a last-day duel with Woods and said with a hearty chuckle: “Maybe tomorrow the Cat will beat the Tiger! You never know.”

It proved to be an astonishing day in the German sunshine as Campbell, winner of the Heineken Classic earlier this year, shot six strokes clear at halfway with rounds of 62 and 65 to Woods’s 69-68. However in Tiger Woods’s vocabulary, a ten shot deficit is like a red rag to a bull.

Three years ago he trailed Ernie Els by 11 shots at halfway and went on to win the Johnnie Walker Classic in a play-off. This time around, Els was little more than an admiring spectator in a high-powered group also containing Lee Westwood.

Woods blitzed the front nine in 30 shots, including a 50 footer for an eagle three at the fifth - a big break as the ball was careering well past the hole, as the American admitted later. “Thank God it hit the hole because it slammed in pretty hard.” he laughed.

Further birdies at the tenth and 11th put him eight under for the day and he finished off in style by despatching an eight footer on the final green to post a score of 200, 16 under par.

Campbell, who had led Woods by ten and the rest of the field by six, increased that margin to seven with a birdie on the first hole in the afternoon. He picked up strokes at the ninth and 11th to reach 20 under par, but came unstuck at the next. Although he located his drive in the rushes it was unplayable and he went back to the tee, eventually taking a double bogey six.

The doubts then seemed to set in, as Campbell bogeyed the 14th and drove into water at the 16th for another bogey. Those errors allowed Romero to overhaul him with a bogey-free round including six birdies.

Romero, nearing his 47th birthday, appears to mature with age. He won the European Masters last season and said: “I never think about the end of my career. I hit the ball better and better – better than 20 years ago. My concentration and experience are greater and I enjoy it more than 20 years ago.”

It was confirmation to Romero that he has recovered from a freak accident in January when he was bitten by his pet dog and suffered severe damage to his left leg and left hand – so much so that he spent two months with his leg raised in the air as it healed.

“I also didn’t have any feeling in my hand for 25 days. It was very serious” he said. However all’s well that end all – and it seems that the pet pooch is man’s best friend after all.

Romero joked: “He is still my best dog and sleeps with me at home. My wife is in the garage! It was an accident, but I feel good now. My confidence is going up and up.”

Henrik Stenson of Sweden, winner of the Benson and Hedges International Open last week, showed the strains and stresses of victory had not taken a toll on his mental and physical powers. He shot a 63 to move into a tie for fourth on 202, 14 under par, alongside his playing partner, Peter O’Malley of Australia.

In fact, that group of Stenson, O’Malley and Padraig Harrington tore the course to shreds in the drying conditions. Stenson and O’Malley fired 63s with Harrington contributing a 64. Between them they carded 27 birdies and just one bogey – an amazing performance to set the seal on a great day’s golf.

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