MIAMI -- On a day featuring the fits and starts of a man crossing an icy street on crutches, Geoff Ogilvy took a four-shot lead into the final round of the WGC-CA Championship only to see his advantage cut in half by Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh by the time darkness fell at Doral. Play was halted with Furyk having completed the par-5 10th and Singh and Ogilvy just behind him in the fairway.
"A long day," Ogilvy said of the early start completing the third round Sunday morning, followed by the weather delays in the afternoon. "I warmed up four times. It's a bit fatiguing, going out, warming up, getting in the van, driving all the way out, coming all the way back, in the air-conditioning, out of the air-conditioning, in the air-conditioning, out of the air-conditioning. That wears you out. Yeah, it's frustrating."
Lurking in the distance was Tiger Woods, trying to beat the odds and keep his winning streak alive. "I'm sure he probably thinks he has a chance," Ogilvy said of Woods who started and finished the afternoon five behind. "We've seen him do crazy things before. But Jim and Vijay have won a fair few tournaments and Adam (Scott) has won a few. There are some pretty tough players right up there. He doesn't only have to catch me, he's got to catch me and pass Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen and Adam Scott. It's a pretty stellar leader board. I've got my work cut out just beating any of those guys."
No one gained more ground Sunday afternoon than Steve Stricker, who saved par from just inside the hazard line on the 18th to close with a nine-under 63, finishing at 13-under 275, four behind Ogilvy's lead of minus 17. "It wasn't hard for me because I had a good round going," said Stricker of the frequent stopages in play. "I really had nothing to lose. I wasn't scaring the leaders at all. I've got a four in a row stretch [starting] here, [then] New Orleans, Houston and the Masters and I'm trying to build up toward that Masters and this is a good start."
Furyk finished his morning round with a pair of birdies to get in contention, then made four in a row on the front nine to highlight an outgoing 33. "If I want to win the golf tournament, I'm going to have to make a bunch of birdies again tomorrow," Furyk said.
-- Jim Moriarty
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