US Open: Woods can't get going

The fireworks Colin Montgomerie had predicted from Tiger Woods were slow to arrive in hot and steamy Tulsa today.

After fighting to survive the halfway cut on five over par - one inside the safety limit - he was looking to mount a charge and put some element of pressure on surprise overnight leaders Retief Goosen, Mark Brooks and JL Lewis.

But as he has all week, the world number one and defending champion had trouble on the 454-yard first, driving right under the lip of the fairway bunker, being unable to make the green and then leaving his chip 25 feet short.

The pin was precariously placed, like so many others, on a ridge and he could not save par. So instead of moving closer to contention he was 10 adrift of six over and the odds on him recording a fifth successive Major victory - unprecedented, of course - lengthened further.

Woods appeared to have hit a glorious medium iron at the flag on the 467-yard second and was bitterly disappointed to see it come up 25 feet short again.

He two-putted for par and disappointment was the name of the game again when he lipped out from 10 feet at the 408-yard third and landed 30 feet above the hole on the 368-yard fourth. Two more pars resulted.

The only player able to get any sort of run going early in the third round was American amateur star Bryce Molder.

Leading individual at the world team championships in Berlin last September - he pushed England's Paul Casey into second place - Molder went to the turn in 32 and with five to play remained three under for the day and three over for the championship. He was up to joint 23rd.

Montgomerie had yet to resume in 11th place on one over, but those Europeans who had all lost further ground.

Darren Clarke fell back to six over with an outward 36, Nick Faldo bogeyed the first four holes before mounting a recovery to stand eight over with six to go and Scot Gary Orr was nine over four holes from home.