Bjorn draws level with Woods

Bjorn draws level with Woods
Reuters

DUBAI, March 3: World number one Tiger Woods and Thomas Bjorn continued to slug it out at the Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday with the two men level on 17-under par after 10 holes of the third round.

Woods found three successive early birdies to establish a clear lead, but a bogey five on the eighth hole his first dropped shot in 44 holes here and another on the 10th allowed Bjorn to level it up.

Three shots back were Welshman Ian Woosnam and Irishman Padraig Harrington, both still on the course.

Woods started the day on 16-under, two ahead of Bjorn, his playing partner for all three rounds so far. For the third successive day he was wayward with his early tee shots and had to produce recovery irons to save par on the first two holes.

He picked up his first shot on the par-5 third after failing by an inch to make eagle, but Bjorn also made birdie.

Woods seemed fired up by that success and he strode to the fourth tee with his head high and duly put his tee shot four feet from the hole for a second birdie.Another beautiful iron approach on the fifth left him a three foot putt which he holed to make it three birdies in a row but Bjorn hit back with a 15-foot putt on the sixth to close back to within three.

On the eighth Woods sent a 30-foot birdie putt sliding past the hole and then missed his return to raise a collective gasp from the gallery. Bjorn holed for birdie from 12 feet to secure a two shot swing.

Both parred the ninth but after Bjorn missed from four feet for birdie on the 10th it seemed as if Woods was going to extend his lead again. However, not only did he miss his three foot birdie putt but astonishingly also missed the next from less than two feet to drop his second shot in three holes and leave the two men level. Earlier, Zimbabwean Tony Johnstone carded a 9-under 63, the best round of the week and two shy of the course record set by Ernie Els in 1994. Johnstone found nine birdies to move to 13-under for the tournament.

One shot back was Colin Montgomerie, who finally got his putter working for a 7-under par round of 65, helped by an eagle three at the third.