Woods closing in on milestone win

In the month he celebrates 10 years as a professional Tiger Woods was closing in tonight on his 50th US Tour victory.

Two weeks on from his British Open Championship victory, Woods led the Buick Open at Warwick Hills in Michigan by one from likely Ryder Cup partner Jim Furyk with four holes to play.

Slender though that might seem, there was nobody in the chasing pack who did not know what a phenomenal front-runner the world number one is.

It was the 48th time in Woods’s career that he had taken at least a share of the lead into the final round and, as he has gone on to win 42 of the previous 47, the task for the other title hopefuls was daunting to say the least.

Moreover, he was looking to make it 21 out of 21 in US Tour events in which he turned an advantage of at least two strokes into victory.

Three birdies in the first four holes brought Vaughn Taylor level, but Woods responded to that threat with a hat-trick of birdies from the third and then added another on the long seventh to turn in 32.

When he bogeyed the 340-yard 12th after messing up his attempt to drive the green he was caught by Furyk, who was eight under for the day with one to go.

Woods, even after driving against a tree on the par five 13th, birdied the hole with a brilliant pitch over the water that spun back to within a foot of the hole.

Joint third on 19 under, three behind, were Joe Durant, Taylor and Scott Verplank.

Meanwhile, Billy Mayfair, 20th on the Ryder Cup table and 40 today, is recovering from surgery for testicular cancer.

The problem was diagnosed earlier this week and the operation carried out in Arizona on Thursday.

Mayfair, who hopes he might be able to return at the US PGA Championship starting on Thursday week, said: “I am doing well and I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and support.”