Feb4 Ernieleads
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Ernie Els had a 4-under-68 for a two-shot lead after the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday, and Tiger Woods had another difficult day on the greens
Els finished at 17-under 199, despite bogeying the first and eighth holes. Previous leader Ross Fisher (71), Henrik Stenson (69) and Jyoti Randhawa (67) shared second.
Woods shot a 67 to trail Els by three strokes, missing putts from as close as 5 feet.
“I didn’t make any putts today. It was frustrating,” Woods said.
Els had a long day at Emirates Golf Club, finishing four holes from the rain-delayed second round, then returning to play another 18.
“I’m up for it. I’d like to win it pretty badly,” Els said.
But he isn’t relaxing, with Woods in contention. “He could get red-hot at any time,” Els said. “Obviously you’ve got to watch the No. 1 player in the world.”