Fightback is still a possibility says Tiger

US Masters golf

Saturday, April 12, 2008

The world number one was seven shots adrift of South African Trevor Immelman entering today's third round.

That is only one stroke shy of the record fightback mounted by Jack Burke in 1956, but Woods has seen enough just in his time at Augusta National to feel he is still in with a chance.

Although he slipped from four behind to seven adrift with a 71 yesterday the four-time champion improved from 19th to 13th.

After birdies at the 13th and 17th and then a remarkable par at the last - he was in the trees and played out down the 10th fairway - he said: " Obviously I've got to make a few more birdies and eliminate the mistakes.

"I need to hit the ball a little bit closer than I have, but you've just got to stay patient. This golf course anything can happen - you can come back pretty quickly here."

A swirling wind was Woods' biggest problem yesterday, but although it was a struggle he coped better than many of the late starters.

Britain's Justin Rose, joint first round leader with Immelman, was in the very last group and crashed from four under to two over with a 78.

He could not blame the wind for that, though. It had eased when he ran up a triple-bogey eight on the 530-yard 15th, where he pitched into the water, went long with his next ball and then almost chipped back into the lake.

"It was a 20-second lapse in concentration," he said. "In hindsight I probably should have gone for the green - it was right on the limit.

"One of these things. I laid up way too close to the green and the way they grow the grain into you I had a bit of a tricky lie and no yardage.

"I struggled all day with my concentration. It was such a long round and coming in last was tough. Obviously there is plenty to play for, but it's not the exciting weekend I was looking forward to."

At least he is still around. Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els were among those who missed the cut by one on four over par, while Jose Maria Olazabal failed by four.

Ian Poulter is finally where he has always wanted to be today- in contention for a major title.

Having never previously finished better than ninth at any of golf's four biggest events, the 32-year-old went into the third round of The Masters at Augusta joint third and only three shots behind leader Immelman.

Poulter intends to enjoy every second of it. And why wouldn't he given where he was little more than a decade ago?

Only a four-handicapper when he turned professional in 1994, the Hitchin-born player spent the next few years as a club assistant earning £3.20 an hour, selling tees, repairing clubs and vacuuming the pro shop.

From those humble beginnings Poulter has risen to European Tour winner and a Ryder Cup cap, but going for a green jacket is new territory.

"When I turned pro I had that kind of naive inner belief, but I didn't understand what it would take to get on Tour at the time," he said after his 69 yesterday.

"I soon learned to understand that you just have to keep getting better. It's been hard work.

"I'm in a great position - certainly the best I've been in after two rounds of a major - and playing the way I've played I'm feeling pretty confident.

"But Augusta National is a difficult golf course and it's never over til it's over."

Poulter took over as Europe's leading hope from his close friend Rose, who from sharing the lead with Immelman slumped to 29th with a 78 - eight of them on the par five 15th.

If that is the hole he will remember most this week, Poulter's is the short 16th. He holed-in-one there on Thursday and made a birdie two in his second round.

Immelman's Augusta history includes an ace at 16 too, but also a parasite last year which got into his stomach and put him out of action for over a month.

Not that that was the 28-year-old South African's biggest drama of 2007.

Just before Christmas he was operated on after the discovery of a benign tumour on his diaphragm.