SAN DIEGO -- Sergio Garcia and Rod Pampling each posted rounds of 4-under 68 Saturday to move into a share of the lead at 11-under-par 205 at the Buick Invitational.
Three-time winner and defending champion Tiger Woods carded the round of the day as he fired a 5-under 67. That moved him to 10-under-par 206, where he is tied for third with Australian Nathan Green (69).
Tiger Woods is trying to become the first four-time winner of this event.
Second-round leader Brandt Jobe struggled to a 3-over 75. He shares fifth place at minus-9 with three-time champion Phil Mickelson (69) and Jesper Parnevik (73). Mickelson at one point had a two-shot lead, but three back-nine bogeys dropped him behind the leaders.
The third and final rounds are being played on the more difficult South Course after play rotated over the South and North Courses for the first two rounds.
Woods opened with five straight pars. He birdied the sixth, but bogeyed the next. The world’s No. 1 player got up and down for birdie on nine, then birdied the 10th to move to minus-7.
The 30-year-old got up and down for birdie on 13, then converted a 6-foot birdie try on 15 to get to 9 under. Woods sank a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th to get to 10 under, and at that point, a share of the lead. He missed a makeable birdie attempt at the last, but tapped in for par.
‘I played better today. It was nice,’ Woods said. ‘I hit a lot of good shots. I have a chance going into tomorrow, that’s where I wanted to be. It is a clustered leaderboard, so I still have to go out there Sunday and shoot a low one.’
Garcia began the day five strokes behind Jobe. He fell even further back after a double-bogey on the second. The Spaniard fought back with birdies on the fifth and sixth to get back to minus-7.
The 26-year-old kept charging around the turn as he birdied the ninth. Garcia made it two in a row again as he birdied the par-4 10th from 13 feet out.
Garcia forged a tie for the lead at the 12th as he sank an 8-footer for birdie. He stuck his third shot to the par-5 18th within 4 feet and sank that putt to end at minus-11.
‘To comeback from that double-bogey and shoot 6 under from there, that was a pretty good effort,’ Garcia said. ‘I’ve been working a lot on my putting and its time to make things happen. It great to see putts going in. It is a new feeling for me and its a wonderful one. Hopefully we can keep it going like this.’
Pampling came out of the gate with a birdie on the second. However, he dropped a shot on the par-4 fifth. The Australian bounced back with four birdies over his next five holes to jump to 11 under and a share of the lead with Mickelson.
The 36-year-old lipped out a short par putt on 11. Pampling then chipped in for birdie on 12 from short of the green. He hit a fairway bunker off the tee on 13, and that forced him to lay up.
Pampling came up short with his third shot, in another bunker. He was unable to save par from there to slip back to minus-10. The 2004 International champion sank a 6-foot birdie putt at the last to share the lead with Garcia.
‘It will be fun to be out there,’ said Pampling. ‘It’s nice to be amongst Tiger’s group, because that’s where the main crowd is, and that’s what we work for. Hopefully, they’ll be standing still when I hit.’
Arjun Atwal, Tim Clark and Lucas Glover are at 8-under-par 208. Jose Maria Olazabal, the 2002 champion, is alone in 11th place at minus-7.
Related Links:
