Bad forecast may force change of plan at Mount Juliet

A bad weather forecast has officials re-thinking the schedule for the final round of the American Express world championship at Mount Juliet in Co Kilkenny tomorrow.

The last group was due to tee off at around 2pm – but with the prediction of gales, there was the possibility of that changing and the 68 players being put off in threes rather than twos and off both the first and 10th tees.

World number three Ernie Els held the halfway lead on 11 under par, and none of today’s early starters in the third round was able to make a significant move forward.

South Korean Yong-eun Yang did have a run of three birdies and an eagle from the fourth, but after 13 holes he also had five bogeys on his card and he stood seven over.

Americans Jonathan Kaye and Chris DiMarco both birdied the first two holes to improve to three under and two under respectively.

Dubliner Paul McGinley matched that start and also picked up a shot on the long fifth, but bogeys at the fourth and sixth left him level par.

Darren Clarke, still the only European to win a World Golf Championships title, made a 20-footer on the third to be two under – but the leaderboard remained unaffected.

Els led by two from Todd Hamilton, the American who beat him in a play-off for the Open in July, and Ryder Cup Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Tiger Woods was five behind, his bad back still hurting him at times yesterday, but much improved from Thursday when he could not swing properly at all – and yet somehow went round in 68.

As heavy rain returned, Clarke added further birdies at the fifth and seventh and at four under had lifted himself into joint 18th place.

Such was the forecast, however, that the tournament spilling over to Monday was not being ruled out.