Golf: Woods-Mickleson match will excite fans

A clash that many people thought they might see in the Masters at Augusta in two weeks’ time has materialised in the third round of the Players Championship in Florida today.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, first and second in the world rankings and first and second in last week’s Bay Hill International, go head-to-head at Sawgrass.

And even though they are joint-eighth rather than leading, try telling the thousands of fans who will be following them that it is not the match that matters.

Ryder Cup team-mates Woods and Mickelson are three under par at halfway, six adrift of surprise pacesetter Jerry Kelly.

While their main priority is to get back in closer contention for the huge £770,000 first prize the second biggest in golf the battle for supremacy between the two Californians could have enormous implications with the first major of the season so close.

Woods, of course, needs only the Masters to become the first player in history to hold all four major crowns at the same time.

Left-hander Mickelson, of course, needs no reminding that a career which has seen him win over 13 million dollars already still does not include a single major.

Woods is still looking a bit shaky at times three balls have disappeared into water already this week but the fact remains that he has recovered from them to give himself another victory opportunity.

‘‘It’s not easy out there,’’ said the 25-year-old. ‘‘The greens are definitely firming up and drying out and the wind swirls in the trees.’’

The hole which could decide things is the short 17th, only 137 yards, but a real tester with its island green.

It was where Woods went in the lake yesterday for a double bogey five and he said: ‘‘There’s no place to miss, no bail out.

‘‘The thing at Augusta with the 12th hole (perhaps the most famous par three in golf), you can hit the ball long and left and still get it up and down.’’

Not that that saved him from taking a triple bogey six there in the first round of last year’s Masters.

First things first, though, and while his main objective is the Masters, to head there on the back of two successive wins would be the perfect set-up for his ‘‘Grand Slam’’ quest.

Few this weekend will be expecting Kelly, yet to win on the US Tour, to maintain the pace he has set so far with rounds of 69 and 66.

Best placed to take any advantage of any slip is Paul Azinger a single shot back, while Masters champion Vijay Singh looks really dangerous two behind along with Kenny Perry and Scott Hoch.

This is Singh’s ninth tournament of the season and his worst round so far is a level par 72. He is 105 under par and his last five finishes have been second, first, first, third and fourth those two wins coming on the European tour circuit in Malaysia and Singapore last month.

Bernhard Langer leads the European challenge, sitting alongside Woods and Mickelson on three under, and Colin Montgomerie has only a stroke more to make up. He partners Langer today.

Montgomerie, second in 1996 and third last year behind Hal Sutton and Woods, was certainly looking for better driving than he produced yesterday.

Normally the strong point of his game, he was in water off the tee at the fifth and seventh, but was confident he could sort it out on the practice range.

Irish pair Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington are on one over and Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam two over, but Paul Lawrie and Lee Westwood are already out Westwood by one after running up a quadruple bogey eight on the final hole.

Two drives into the lake there did at least enable Westwood to be reunited earlier than expected with his wife Laurae, who is due to give birth to their first child a fortnight today third round day at the Masters.

Westwood will not be in Augusta unless the baby comes early and even if it does his priority, he says, is home and he might still not fly back to America.