GOLF Record-tying round helps Love take lead

Davis Love III matched the Target World Challenge record with a 9-under 63.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Walking from the practice range before the third round, a fan called out to Tiger Woods, "Go win today, Tiger!"
Woods smiled and said to himself, "How can you win a tournament on Saturday?"
Davis Love III might have shown him how.
With a birdie chance on nearly every hole, Love pulled away from Woods and just about everyone else at the Target World Challenge by matching the tournament record of 9-under 63 to build a three-shot lead.
"It didn't seem easy, but I hit a lot of good shots and a lot of good putts," said Love, who was at 11-under 205 and in great shape to become the first repeat winner of the event.
It was going so good that when he and Woods reached the 10th tee, Woods mentioned that he was 2-up on Love.
"He said, 'How's that?' I told him I was getting a stroke a hole," Woods said, who had dropped seven shots to Love on the front nine.
It was going so good that when Love stood over a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th, all he thought about was making his 11th birdie of the day. Instead, his ball caught the lip and went 8 feet by, and he missed that one for his only bogey.
"Other than that, I felt like I could birdie every hole," Love said. "And I almost did."
Love's 63 tied the tournament record set last year by Padraig Harrington, which also came in the third round and gave the Irishman a six-shot lead. He wound up holding off a late charge by Woods to win by two.
Love only had a three-shot margin over K.J. Choi (65), although he won't have to worry about Woods.
Giving up ground
As most of the leaders were posting birdies on a sunny, benign afternoon at Sherwood, the tournament host gave up ground with a three-putt bogey on No. 3 and then hit his tee shot into the water for a bogey on the next hole.
Woods lost all hope on the final hole, hitting off the pine straw and coming up well short, into the water, and he had to make a 15-footer for bogey. He had a 72 and was nine shots back at 214.
"I'm working on a few things in my swing," Woods said. "When I do it right, I hit some unbelievably good golf shots. When I don't, it's 'Fore Left!' and 'Fore Right!' "
Solid showing
Meanwhile, Love played some of his best golf since early in the year.
"I was confident all day," Love said. "I'm getting more and more comfortable playing with Tiger and around the lead."
Love was tied with Choi and Justin Leonard when his 4-iron on the difficult par-3 8th climbed just enough to hop into the fringe and stop about 6 feet above the hole for one of only two birdies in the round.
Love holed putts of 20 feet and 15 feet for birdies on the next two holes, then easily reached the par-5 11th with a 5-iron to set up his fourth straight birdie.
It would be a great way to end his best season on tour. Love won four times, and no victory bigger than his final-round 64 at The Players Championship on a cold, windy day at Sawgrass.