Associated Press
Saturday, August 12

GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- Maybe it was the guy with the large plastic tiger glued to the top of his hat. Or, the roaring, roaming crowds.

How else to explain why Tiger Woods couldn't make a move in the third round of the Buick Open on Saturday.

Not only did the best golfer on the planet not make a run at the lead, he didn't even win his group.

	Tiger Woods says being ready to win next week is the goal by the end of this week.

Woods, paired with Phil Mickelson, shot a 5-under-par 67 for a three-round total of 11-under 207 on the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club course. Mickelson, one of the few who can drive the ball as far as Woods, shot a 65 for a 205 total.

"I missed my share of opportunities today," said Woods, playing his first tournament since winning the British Open at St. Andrews to complete the career Grand Slam.

Chris Perry, who shot a 65 for a 201 total, took a one-stroke lead over Rocco Mediate into Sunday's final round.

Woods, six strokes off the pace, didn't seem worried.

This is, after all, the Buick Open. It's the PGA Championship -- next week -- that really matters to Woods who, with a win at Valhalla, would become the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three professional majors in one season.

"You have to remember, you need your game to peak at the right time," Woods said. "Next week is the right time."

Which isn't to say he isn't trying to win this week. He is. There were ample signs of that during this up-and-down round.

Woods and Mickelson started the day tied at 4 under, 10 strokes behind second-round leader Woody Austin. A three-putt first green set the tone for Woods. Mickelson, meanwhile, birdied the first four holes.

That got the crowd into it.

"He had such a great start," said Ed LaCross, a Dow Chemical Co. worker from Midland who followed the pair. "That's why I started cheering for Mickelson. You could almost feel that energy."

The thousands of spectators following them saw both long hitters pull out their drivers repeatedly, often booming drives in excess of 330 yards. At the 335-yard 12th, Woods droves his ball through the green -- while John Cook and Tim Herron were still putting.

"Well, they're waving us on, now," Mickelson said with a laugh as he teed his ball.

Woods finally pulled even with Mickelson, at 10 under, with a birdie at No. 14, a 322-yard hole he almost eagled after reaching the green with a driver off the tee. That really sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"I really enjoy playing with Tiger," Mickelson said. "But about one day of that every other month is enough. I can't imagine how he does that day in and day out. It's amazing. People just don't understand what he's done for the game of golf."

But that was Tiger's last hurrah. For this day, at least.

Woods pulled his drive right, under a white birch tree on No. 15. The trunk of the tree hindered his backswing and Woods found a greenside bunker with his second shot.

On his way to examine the damage, Woods had to walk past Bob Drlincka of Homer, who has recently launched a standup comedy career. Drlincka was sitting cross-legged, wearing a wide-brim straw hat with an orange tiger on top.

Was it because he was a Tiger fan, or because he wanted some laughs?

"A little bit of both," Drlincka said. "I get more laughs walking around here than playing any club."

Woods' explosion from the sand didn't check up, rolling to the back of the green. Three putts later, he had double-bogey and was back to 8-under.

"Terrible drive, terrible second shot, terrible third shot, and three terrible putts," Woods said. "Other than that, it was a great hole, thank you very much."

Still, this week is accomplishing what Woods had hoped it would. After two weeks of playing links courses in Ireland and Scotland, he is regaining the feel of the well-watered courses in this country.

"I feel like my game is rounding into shape," he said. "I like my swing, my trajectory."