Woods' woes continue at Shinnecock Hills

A tough task became tougher for Tiger Woods today after an error-strewn start to his third round in the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Already seven adrift of leaders Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama when he resumed, Woods scrambled a par on the 393-yard first – one of the easiest holes on the course – and then bogeyed the next two.

After three-putting the short second he missed the fairway again on the 478-yard next, went through the green and after chipping back to eight feet left it short.

Woods has failed to win any of the last seven majors and is in danger of losing the world number one spot to Ernie Els this weekend.

For that to happen he has to finish outside the top spot and Els has to win, but the South African was in joint sixth place at halfway only three shots behind Mickelson and Maruyama.

Mickelson’s goal, of course, was to add this title to the Masters he won in April and keep alive the possibility of golf’s first-ever Grand Slam of all four majors in one season.

European hopes appear to rest on the shoulders of Sergio Garcia but he pushed his drive into thick rough on the first and then putted off the slippery green.

It led to a bogey and he was back to one over.

Even though the wind had still to become a significant factor during the week, the Long Island course was still proving a monster to most.

Padraig Harrington, who had also survived the cut with only a stroke to spare at four over, was out in 38 with three bogeys in four holes from the sixth – and then double-bogeyed the 10th.

He was nine over as well.