woods - it won't be easy

By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer

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Tiger Woods admitted he "had his work cut out" as he goes into the final round of The Open with a one-shot lead.

The world's greatest golfer will go head to head with Sergio Garcia in the last pairing over the final 18 holes on Sunday after the Spaniard shot a spectacular 65 to post a 12 under par score.

Woods came in one shot better after a third round 71 in which he struggled with his putter to set up a frantic Sunday scramble for golf's biggest prize with 15 players within five shots of the lead.

Woods said: "It will be fun for both of us to go out there to try to win the Open Championship.

"There are a bunch of guys up there at the top of the board and we've got to play well ourselves and put ourselves in position.

"It's not just Sergio and myself. We've got our work cut out tomorrow."

The pair played together in the final pairing at Bethpage in the 2002 US Open but Woods started that day four shots ahead and eventually triumphed, with Garcia finishing fourth.

In the 1999 USPGA final round Garcia played in the group ahead of Woods but lost by a single shot.

Woods, the consummate front-runner, has never lost a major when leading going into the final round and said: "I've done it before. That's the thing.

"If you've won before doing it that way it always gives you confidence to know you can do it again.

"I hope I can play like today and putt better. If I had putted normally and took away my three-putts I would have shot four under par."

He has no intention, however, of changing his cautious approach by employing the driver rather than negotiating Hoylake's bunkers with irons off the tee.

He said: "I don't see any reason why unless I absolutely had to. It's got me the lead so far.

"The problem is if you hit the ball over the top and put the ball in that wispy stuff you can't stop the ball near the flag.

"And with these pins you've got to be precise. They were the most difficult pins I've ever seen in an Open championship."

Woods' relationship with Garcia at times has been frosty, but he was generous in his praise of the Spaniard's seven under par 65.

Woods said: "Sergio played beautifully today. What a wonderful round of golf.

"To take it that low with those pins and these conditions was a great round of golf."

He also recalled his duel with Garcia at Medinha in 1999, saying: "He played really well. He was only 19 at the time.

"It's awfully impressive to be that young and have the chance to win a major. It doesn't happen very often in our sport.

"We could all see he had the talent to win a major championship. It was just a case of putting it together at the right time."