Tiger Woods charged into contention for a record-setting 83rd all-time US PGA title on Saturday, shooting a three-under-par 69 as he chases a ninth career victory at Torrey Pines.
Woods began the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open six strokes adrift of leader Ryan Palmer, but stood on seven-under 209 after 54 holes, five back of leader Jon Rahm with the third-ranked Spaniard having two holes yet to finish.
“I’m going to have to shoot a pretty good round tomorrow,” Woods said. “I’ll have my work cut out for me. I’ll have go out there and post a number and hopefully it will be good enough.”
McIlroy in third place
Second-ranked Rory McIlroy, needing a victory to return to World No. 1, moved into third with a stellar 67 to stand three adrift on 207, but the bid for history by Woods stole the spotlight.
The 44-year-old reigning Masters champion had matched Sam Snead for the US PGA record of 82 triumphs with an October victory in Japan.
Fog delayed the start by two hours but Woods, a 15-time Major winner, shone brightly once he began. Woods blasted from a fairway bunker to 13 feet and sank the putt to open with a birdie, conquering the same first hole where he four-putted to a double bogey on Friday.
Woods curled in a seven-foot birdie putt on the par-3 third and rolled in a 17-foot chip to rescue par at the fourth.
After blasting out of the rough, Woods holed a 13-foot birdie putt at the par-5 sixth and dropped his approach three feet from the cup on the way to making birdie at the par-5 ninth to reach 8-under, only two off the lead.
“Most of my putts I made were all uphill,” Woods said. “It’s important to leave the ball in the correct spots, and when I did I poured them in there.” Woods made bogey at the par-3 11th, coming up six-feet short on a 62-foot birdie bid and missing his par putt.
From there, Woods grinded out seven concluding pars, the most crucial on a 15-foot putt — his longest putt of the day — at the par-5 18th after he found bunkers off the tee and with his third shot.
“It was important to save the round after I made a bogey back there,” Woods said. “It was important to make that putt to salvage the round a little bit and get some momentum going for the round tomorrow.”
