Golf

Goosen takes early Shanghai lead as Tiger stutters

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-11-11 15:00

Shanghai - South African Retief Goosen took a two-shot lead early in the third round of the Champions tournament on Saturday while his playing partners Tiger Woods and Jyoti Randhawa struggled in the windy conditions.

Goosen reached the turn at two-under for the day, 11-under overall, to take the tournament lead from India's Randhawa, who birdied his first two holes before falling back to nine-under with a double bogey at the fifth and another dropped shot two holes later.

World number one Woods, who shot a course record 64 on Friday, opened his round with a bogey after a wayward drive off the first tee but redeemed himself at the next hole with a second eagle of the week at the Sheshan International Golf Club.

The American dropped two shots when he found the sand at the par-4 seventh and looked in trouble at the next as well, twice hitting into the rough before a beautiful chip-in from off the green gave him a birdie.

The 12-times major winner shared third place on eight under with Ireland's European Order of Merit champion Padraig Harrington and South Korea's Yong-Eun Yang, who were playing together two groups ahead of Woods, Goosen and Randhawa.

In contrast to the nervous-looking Randhawa, twice U.S. Open champion Goosen played his trademark steady game, picking up birdies at the second, sixth and eighth holes with a single blemish on the front nine.

The $5 million event is sanctioned by the Asian, Australian and Southern Africa tours as well as being the first stop on the 2007 European Tour.