TROON, (SCOTLAND), July 19: If the weekend pressure of the British Open wasn't already on Darren Clarke's mind, Tiger Woods gave him and the rest of the leaders even more to think about today.Woods finally, done in by the gorse of Royal Troon for two straight days, finally avoided a big number and then hit one brilliant shot after another for a 7-under-par 64 in the third round.That tied the record at Royal Troon, set by Greg Norman in 1989, and put Woods at 3-under 210, only six strokes back of Clarke.``It's up to him how far back I'll be,'' Woods said. ``The leaders have complete control. They have an opportunity to go out there and leave us in the dust.''Clarke led by two over Justin Leonard. Jesper Parnevik was another stroke back at 6 under, followed by Fred Couples and English rookie David Tapping.Clarke was on the practice green as Woods was putting on a performance that caused the normally reserved Scottish gallery to break out in wild applause.He saved his round on the 11th hole, where he once again tried to play out from rough surrounded by the prickly gorse bushes and was still 71 yards out after three shots.But unlike the triple-bogey 7 he had Thursday on No 11, and the quadruble-bogey 8 he had on the 10th hole Friday from the gorse, he walked away with only a bogey by hitting to within 15 feet (4.6 meters) and making the putt.``Things like that keep rounds going,'' Woods said.Indeed. He birdied the 12th to get back the stroke, then became the first player to make eagle on the par-5 16th, a 542-yard (495-meter) hole into a steady breeze that Woods reached in two, holing a 12-foot (3.7 metre) putt.And when it looked like he was in trouble again at the par-3 17th, he played a perfect bump shot into the slope guarding the green, the ball rolling into the cup for an improbable birdie. Woods saved par from a pot bunker, making a 10-footer (3 meter) on the 18th for his 64.Woods, 13 strokes back to start the round, had said Friday he still thought he had a chance to win.``I figured if I eliminated the bad holes and putted better, then I'd be OK,'' he said Saturday.He had to settle for birdie at both par 5s on the front, but picked up another birdie on No 7 when his slicing drive bounced off a young girl's head and ricocheted back toward the right rough. He hit a high, spinning sand wedge that rolled to within 10 feet (3 meter) for birdie.
