Woods losing grip on title

Tiger Woods’ grip on his one remaining major is hanging by a thread after a day he will want to forget at Olympia Fields near Chicago.

In the lowest-scoring United States Open in history Woods had his highest score as a professional in the event – a five-over-par 75 that dropped him from three behind to 11 adrift and from fifth place to 24th.

Jim Furyk now leads at 10 under par, breaking the championship record 54-hole total by three when he finished with a 30-foot putt for a 67.

During the round – three times, in fact – Furyk also became just the third player in US Open history to reach 10 under.

Australian Stephen Leaney, a European tour regular, lies second, thanks in part to three closing bogeys from Vijay Singh 24 hours after he shot a major championship record-equalling 63.

Those mistakes sent Singh down into a tie for third with Nick Price on five under.

It started going wrong for Woods when he was put off by an ill-timed whistle from a spectator on his second shot to the long first hole. He dropped his club and stared long and hard in their direction.

“It was frustrating,” he said. “It came on my downswing, which made it worse. If it was my backswing I could have stopped.”

There were no repeats of that, but Woods had enough problems reading the speed of the green.

“They looked faster, but putted slower and I made nothing,” he commented. “Now I need to shoot a great round and get some help from the leaders. But you never know.”

What he does know is that none of his eight major victories have come from behind on the last day – let alone 11 shots back.

With his Masters defence a big disappointment too (he was 15th) and no wins since March the inevitable word “slump” was raised.

“I have won three out of seven events this year and you are trying to tell me I am in a slump,” he responded, laughing off the suggestion.

Chances of a European success – their first since Tony Jacklin in 1970 – were about as bright as Woods’. Swede Fredrik Jacobson is best placed, but he is joint 15th at one under following a 73.

Darren Clarke and Justin Rose both stand one over alongside Woods, Padraig Harrington is three over, Colin Montgomerie one further back and Brian Davis, like Rose making his debut, seven over.

Clarke did reach three under, but after failing to sustain that and bogeying the last two holes he said:

“You can’t get it done with 34 putts. I didn’t play as well as the first two days, but I gave myself more chances - very strange.

“But I didn’t make anything and I think tomorrow I will close my eyes and hit it.

“I had my opportunities to be right in the thick of things. I ought to be an awful lot better than I am, but once again I have not taken the chances I have made.”

Price threatened to be the story of the day when he birdied five of the first six holes to take over at the top. But he then had four bogeys in six.

1 FURYK, Jim -10 18

2 LEANEY, Stephen -7 18

T3 PRICE, Nick -5 18

T3 SINGH, Vijay -5 18

T5 PRIDE, Dicky -5 18

T5 LEGGATT, Ian -4 18

T5 ROMERO, Eduardo -4 18

T5 BYRD, Jonathan -4 18

T9 O'MEARA, Mark -3 18

T9 CALCAVECCHIA, Mark -3 18

9 MAYFAIR, Billy -3 18

Latest Irish

T24 CLARKE, Darren +1 18

T39 HARRINGTON, Padraig +3 18