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| February 5, 2006 | Sunday | Muharram 6, 1427 |
Woods and Hansen tied for first place
DUBAI, Feb 4: World No.1 Tiger Woods and Dane Anders Hansen take a one stroke lead into the final round of the US$2.4m Dubai Desert Classic after a tightly-fought third round on Saturday.
Woods drew level by birdieing the par-five last despite sending his second into the grandstand after the journeyman Dane had edged ahead with a snaking 25 foot putt for birdie at the 16th.
The American had a 67 on the day and Hansen 69 as they both reached 16 under par on the par-72 Majlis Course.
South Africa’s Retief Goosen, the joint leader after the first two rounds is one stroke back after carding a 70 and three players are bunched on 14 under.
Australian lefty Richard Green had a 69, reigning champion Ernie Els of South Africa a 68 and Spanish Ryder Cup star Miguel Angel Jimenez a 66 - the joint best round of the day.
Woods, looking to win the Gulf region’s showcase tournament for the first time after failures in 2000 and 2004, said that he had his play on the par fives to thank for him moving into the lead.
Hansen, in his 11th year on the European PGA Tour and with just one tournament win to his name, in the 2002 PGA, said it had been an experience to be playing with Woods for the first time.
Hansen and Goosen started the day in the joint lead at 13 under par with Woods two adrift and with the desert breeze finally getting up, scoring low was harder than on the first two days.
Goosen and Hansen moved three strokes clear of the American just after the turn as Green, Jimenez and Els began to close in, but Woods replied in champion style with birdies at the 10th, 13th and 14th, taking advantage of the three par-fives on the back nine.
Goosen was still a stroke clear at the 14th but back-to-back bogeys cost him the lead as Woods and Hansen moved ahead of him.
The South African, enjoying a career-high world ranking at third and playing his first tournament in six weeks after taking a seasonal break from the game, said he had struggled with his chipping on the back nine.
Compatriot Els said he felt he was getting back to his best as he continues his comeback from a knee injury that left him on the sidelines for several months in the second half of last year.
Leading third round scores:
200 - Tiger Woods 67-66-67, Anders Hansen 68-63-69
201 - Retief Goosen 64-67-70
202 - Miguel Angel Jimenez 79-67-66, Ernie Els 68-66-68, Richard Green 64-69-69
203 - Nick Dougherty 67-66-70
204 - Bradley Dredge 70-66-68, Peter Lawrie 69-66-69
205 - Jyoti Randhawa 71-68-66, Paul Broadhurst 69-69-67, Henrik Stenson 67-70-68
206 - Darren Clarke 68-68-70
207 - Stephen Gallacher 70-69-68, Raphael Jacquelin 68-71-68, Simon Dyson 70-71-66, Ricardo Gonzalez 69-68-70, Paul Casey 67-69-71
208 - Lee Westwood 68-71-69, Richard Sterne 69-69-70, Andrew Coltart 71-70-67, Andrew Oldcorn 71-67-70, Emanuele Canonica 69-68-71, Johan Edfors 69-67-72, Niclas Fasth 67-68-73, Jamie Donaldson 64-70-74
209 - Steve Webster 70-70-69, Barry Lane 68-71-70, David Howell 70-69-70, Stuart Little 69-69-71, Christopher Hanell 71-71-67, Damien McGrane 68-68-73, Marc Cayeux 69-66-74.—Agencies
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