Cejka still leads, but Tiger's lurking

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-05-09

Rush-hour traffic in mid-town Manhattan has more forward movement than the leaders at the Players Championship on Saturday. This near, but not quite major has gained a bigger and bigger reputation with each passing year as an event that wrings players out, physically and mentally. And in the 90-plus heat of a bright Jacksonville afternoon, the wringer was in the “extra tight” setting as the Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass took the life out of a group of would-be contenders for the Players Championship title.

And when the sun went down, the only player at the top of the board who didn’t get steamrolled was the guy at the top. Alex Cejka shot an even-par round of 72 and was able to extend his lead from the two shots he brought into Saturday to five.

That will allow the 38-year-old Czech native to sleep a little better tonight. What figures to give him the occasional nightmare, however, will be the fact that his playing partner in the last group Sunday afternoon will be none other than Tiger Woods.

The world’s No. 1-ranked player managed a 70 in the rock-hard conditions and stepped over several bodies of spurned contenders into second place at 6-under par.

“It's going to be tough," Cejka said. "He's the best player. It's going to be a good challenge for me. I know I have a lead, but it's against not only Tiger but against the rest of the field. I've got to play well tomorrow to win here."

Cejka quickly noted that he does have some experience going up against Woods in the final round of big events. The two were paired in the 1996 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, when Woods was a 20-year-old amateur. Cejka shot 67 and Woods had a 70.

Cejka committed bogeys on his 7th and 9th holes of the day, both a result of 3-putts. He had put together a run of 42 consecutive holes without a 3-putt prior. Woods was able to move up the board, despite playing a less-than-stellar round of five birdies and three bogeys.

Ian Poulter was in the hunt, making seven straight pars, but then bogeyed three of his next four. He parred the last seven holes and finished with a 75.

Kevin Na shot an opening-nine 34, but he bogeyed 10 and 11 and then tripled 13. He rebounded nicely with a birdie on 15 and an eagle on 16. But the rollercoaster then hit bottom again when he bogeyed 17 and 18 for a 40 and a round of 74.

“This golf course can do that to you,” Na said. “Every hole is birdieable, but definitely you can make an X on it. I felt like I played pretty well today. Besides that one hole I made triple on. I know 17 and 18 I did make back to back bogeys. But 17 where I was, it was almost imposition. I felt like I had a great shot to about 10 feet, I don't feel I could have done any better.

“18, I think I should have hit 3 wood off the tee. I felt pretty confident because my ball was turning over today so I figured I'd aim right there and the ball would turn over, and actually made a good swing and it went straight.”

Because weather conditions aren’t expected to change for the final round, players can expect more of what they got today.

“Yeah, a bit like that cart path,” said Retief Goosen, who’s 71 put him in a six-way tie with Woods and others for second. “So we'll practice our chipping on a cart path tonight.”

For Woods, it’s been a long time since he’s been in contention at the Players. And he’ll go into today’s round with all the attention squarely on him.

“I can certainly sense a change,” Woods said. “It's nice to get back out here and play a golf course this fast, I really enjoy it. I think this is how we've always thought this golf course should be played is hard and fast. And it's playing that way. Even the guys back in '99 when David won, the guys weren't really complaining it was hard and fast. We like that. We just don't like it when it's super soft and picking up mud balls.”

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