GOLF
Sabbatini Shoots 64, Leads Woods by 1
Rory Sabbatini finishes with a one-shot lead in the third round on Saturday and will be in the final group with Tiger Woods.
(Scott Halleran - Getty Images)
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Sunday, May 6, 2007
The roars were relentless from all corners of the course, a salute to a record-tying score, three eagles from the fairway, an ever-changing leader board and trouble for those who dared to take on too much.
Quail Hollow is not Augusta National. It only sounded like it yesterday in Charlotte.
Rory Sabbatini holed out a sand wedge for eagle on his opening hole, and picked up even more ground with an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to tie the course record with an 8-under 64 and to get the final pairing he wanted with Tiger Woods.
"There was a sense of Augusta because typically this is a golf course where there's a lot of people out there and . . . you're fairly close, so you can hear everything that's going on," Sabbatini said. "There were a lot of big roars. It was a fun day of golf."
It must have felt like the Masters for Woods, too.
Just like the third round last month at Augusta, he lost a chance to be in the lead with bogeys on his final two holes. From under a tree right of the 18th fairway, he went for the green and wound up in the creek, and Woods was fortunate to escape with bogey when he made a seven-foot putt in the dark.
"I knew it was going left-to-right, but I had no idea how much because I couldn't see it," Woods said, knowing that the putt would put him in the final group with Sabbatini, only one shot behind after his 68.
Asked about a final-round pairing with the world's No. 1 player, Sabbatini relished the chance.
He remains bitter about his victory last year at the Nissan Open, saying he has heard whispers that it happened without having to beat Woods because he had withdrawn on the weekend with the flu.
"He's here this week -- best opportunity I've had to put any of that criticism or doubt aside," said Sabbatini, who was at 11-under 205.
ยท EUROPE: Andrew McLardy of South Africa shot his second straight 7-under 65 and took the lead in Milan at the Italian Open, which was reduced to 54 holes after play was cut short because of lightning.
