Tiger so close to stunning round

Tiger Woods failed to put the finishing touches today to a round and a comeback which promised to be something really special.

Down in 108th place after an opening 75 in the Players Championship at Sawgrass – golf’s richest-ever event – and in danger of missing his first halfway cut in 120 tournaments, Woods was incredibly up to fifth place when he turned in 32 in his third round and then birdied the 12th and 13th.

But although another birdie came at the long 16th there were also bogeys at the 14th, 17th and 18th to give the world number one a 68 and four-under aggregate of 212.

And as the day’s play came to an end that still left him six strokes adrift of leader Adam Scott, who with five to play led by one from Kevin Sutherland.

“Not such a good finish, but overall I played well,” said Woods. “I hit so many good shots and man, all the hard work is starting to pay off.

“Each and every day I’m getting better.” Good news, of course, for his attempt to win a fourth Masters in a fortnight.

On the island green 17th, where he was in the water on Thursday, Woods only just made it across and after spinning back into the rough played a poor chip.

Then his second to the last was fired into the grandstand right of the green and he failed to get up and down once more.

Padraig Harrington, joint fifth at halfway, had slipped to joint 13th, five behind, with four to play and alongside him was England’s Paul Casey on his debut in the event.

Casey was going even better than that after a hat-trick of birdies from the 11th, but he drove into the lake on the last and bogeyed for a 69 and five-under aggregate.

“I pulled it a fraction, but still thought it might have found a piece of land,” he said. “But I played nicely and I’ve no reason to change anything tomorrow. Another round in the 60s would be nice.”

With a huge amount of world ranking points on offer it is a big chance for Casey to take a major leap up the Ryder Cup standings.

Harrington birdied the par-five second to maintain his hopes of improving on his second place last year but he then bogeyed the fifth and eighth and after another birdie at the 11th he slipped up again at the short 13th.

Earlier Craig Parry popped up with two more eagles as he missed the course record of 63 by just one stroke.

Having survived the halfway cut with nothing to spare – he thought a closing bogey six had put him out of the £4.4million tournament – the little Australian charged from two over par to six under and into the hunt.

The 38-year-old, who dramatically won the Ford Championship earlier this month by holing a six iron for an eagle two in a play-off against Scott Verplank, played the 535-yard 11th and 507-yard 16th in a combined six strokes.

First he struck a two-iron to four feet then it was that same six iron to 18 feet. “Two eagles in six holes – I normally have two in a year,” he joked.

For the second time in three days Colin Montgomerie drove into the lake on the last and had to play his next shot from the ladies tee. It cost him a double-bogey six and, having also doubled the sixth, a third successive 73 was the best the Scot, a winner in Singapore last Sunday, could do.

Darren Clarke was only one better at two over and that represented real disappointment for the Ulsterman, sixth in last week’s Bay Hill Invitational. He turned in 33, but an eagle on the 11th came in a back nine 40 which also included four bogeys and a double on the 449-yard 15th.

One ahead of him and in a similar frame of mind was Nick Faldo, who almost made an albatross on the second, but then ran up a seven at the ninth and had to settle for a 71. Justin Rose, meanwhile, shot 70 to improve to level par and Ian Poulter a 71 for two under.