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You are in: Special Events: 2000: USPGA Golf |
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Saturday, 19 August, 2000, 21:36 GMT 22:36 UK
Olly on the charge
Olazabal came within millimetres of making history
Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal went Tiger hunting with a vengeance in the third round of the USPGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Course in Kentucky.
The 34-year-old Spaniard destroyed the course record with a blistering nine-under par 63 to shot up the leaderboard. It was a vintage performance from Olazabal - full of accurate iron play and deft putting - and he so nearly carded the lowest score ever recorded in a Major. Having narrowly missed with another long put on the 17th, Olazabal need a four to score a 62 and go one better than the 17 men who had carded rounds of 63 in Major history.
But the Spaniard played a poor third to the green and needed all his putting skills to save his par and card a record-equalling 63.
The last player to manage the feat was Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters. Olazabal started his third round 11 shots adrift of Woods and appeared to have only a top 15 place and return invitation to play for. Rampage But in ideal playing conditions Olazabal went on the rampage over the Jack Nicklaus-designed course. He reached the turn in 32, four-under par, before suddenly going into overdrive - he would finally card an amazing 11 threes in his round. Olazabal, who only four years ago thought his career was over when he suffered a crippling foot condition that took doctors over a year to diagnose and cure, came back in with five birdies in seven holes. Olazabal took his cue from veteran Tom Watson, who showed golf's young pretenders how to do it when the 50-year-old tied the course record with a sizzling seven-under par 65.
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19 Aug 00 | USPGA Golf
19 Aug 00 | USPGA Golf
19 Aug 00 | USPGA Golf
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