Golf: Sad Tiger is driven off course

TIGER Woods struggled to an untidy two-over par 73 in the third round of the Nissan Open here yesterday.

Woods has played the historic South California course five times as a professional without winning and he won't end that barren run this year.

The world number one hacked his first drive out of bounds and was forced to settle for a disastrous double bogey 7.

That contributed to a 3-over par 38 on the front nine and although he staged something of a recovery on the back nine his three round total of 213 left him 11 shots off the lead.

Woods admitted: "It was a relief to birdie the last because I was suffering out there. I never really put myself in the right positions."

While Tiger struggled Charles Howell shot a 3-under 68 to open a three-stroke lead over Nick Price going into the final round.

Howell, who won his first PGA Tour event last year, had one bogey in a round that included two birdies and an eagle.

Colin Montgomerie faces a frustrating few days off after missing the cut. The Scot shot 75 and 71 in the first two rounds and then had to wait six hours before discovering that it wasn't good enough.

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