Appleby Hoping to Be Noticed: Leader Aims to Hang Around With Woods During Final Round

Apr 08, 11:18 AM

Current Headlines: By Alan Blondin, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Apr. 8--LEADERBOARD ------

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Stuart Appleby takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the 71st Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

One of his challenges today will be to be noticed -- by one person in particular.

Appleby holds a one-stroke lead over Tiger Woods and Justin Rose through two rounds of the Masters, and is paired in the final round with Woods, a four-time Masters champion who is seeking his third consecutive major title and 13th overall. The winner of the past 16 Masters has come out of the final round's final pairing.

"He won't even know I'm there," joked Appleby. "I'm sure I'll know he's there."

Appleby survived brutal course and weather conditions, as well as a triple bogey on the 17th hole Saturday, to cling to a one-shot lead at 2-over-par 218, the highest third-round lead in Masters history, surpassing the even-par lead Jack Nicklaus and Tommy Jacobs shared in 1966.

Hard and fast conditions on fairways and greens, swirling winds gusting up to 20 mph that affected even putts, and temperatures in the 40s most of the day contributed to Saturday's scoring average of 77.35, the third highest third-round average in Masters history. With a 54-hole cumulative scoring average of 76.25, this year's Masters is on pace to have the second highest scoring average in tournament history.

"It was like trying to land a golf ball on your driveway, but your driveway has mounds on it and they stick the pin near the mounds," said Rich Beem, whose 75 was one of Friday's better rounds. "Sometimes you just have to giggle about it."

As difficult as Augusta National is playing, the course doesn't seem to be unfair.

"It's set up on the safe side of tournament play," Appleby said.

Appleby has won four of the five times he's taken a lead into a final round of a PGA Tour event, and Woods has never come from behind to win any of his 12 majors. Yet even Appleby isn't about to suggest he's got any kind of advantage today.

"Look, Tiger has always got an advantage," Appleby conceded. "Shot supremacy is certainly there. Emotionally, mentally he's a tough competitor, but he knows he beat the golf course and always has. He's not worried about what everybody else is doing. In a way that should be obvious to us that that's what we have to do."

Woods began the day five shots off the lead, and his 72 was one of only three rounds of par or better despite finishing with bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes for the second time this week. Yet he's still in position to claim his fifth green jacket.

"I'm looking forward to have an opportunity to win the championship," Woods said.

Appleby, despite overall success in golf with eight PGA Tour victories and a pair of wins in his native Australia, has just two top 10s in 40 previous majors, highlighted by a loss in a four-man playoff for the 2002 British Open title.

Appleby, trying to become the first Australian Masters champion, would have had a bit more of a cushion against Woods and the field had it not been for the 17th hole.

He began the day 1-over par and made successive birdies on holes 2, 3 and 4 to quickly take the tournament lead at 2 under, and he still had a three-shot lead at 1 under through 16 holes.

But on the 17th he hooked his drive into the bunker on the right side of the 17th green and hit the face of the bunker on his second shot, leaving him behind trees. He found a bunker on the short side of the green with his third shot, blasted out to 15 feet and three-putted for a triple bogey to fall to 2 over and temporarily out of the lead.

"Stuff like that happens out here," Appleby said. "I have to say I'd take the day as a whole. Seventeen? That's golf; that's Augusta. It's a tough opponent and it will be a tough opponent tomorrow.

"... This course is ready to slap you in the head if you do something wrong."

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Third round

Stuart Appleby75-70-73-218 +2

Tiger Woods73-74-72-219 +3

Justin Rose69-75-75-219 +3

Padraig Harrington77-68-75-220 +4

Zach Johnson71-73-76-220 +4

Vaughn Taylor71-72-77-220 +4

Inside

On TV

Today -- 2:30-7 p.m. (CBS WBTW, Ch. 13)

Internet -- One hour of bonus coverage available on www.masters.org [http://www.masters.org]

Hole -- 15

Yardage -- 530 yards

Par -- 5

Stroke average -- 5.316

Rank -- 11

Key fact -- Tiger Woods had his first three-putt here, Padraig Harrington made a double bogey, and Geoff Ogilvy had a 9 that took him out of contention.

Contact ALAN BLONDIN at 843-626-0284 or at ablondin@thesunnews.com [mailto:ablondin@thesunnews.com].

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

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