PGA Claret jug helps Curtis share lead with Rose, Ames

Drawing incentive from the jug, Ben Curtis had a birdie on the 18th for a 69.
DUBLIN (AP) -- Ben Curtis hasn't taken the claret jug on a world tour since winning the British Open, but he decided to bring it with him to the Memorial Tournament for a little motivation.
So far, it appears to be working.
Curtis feels so confident about his game that he took aim at the flag on the 18th hole and walked off with a birdie, giving him a 3-under 69 on Friday and a share of the lead with Justin Rose and Stephen Ames.
"Looking at that thing gives you goose-bumps," Curtis said of the claret jug, which he won last year at Royal St. George's as the 396th player in the world ranking.
Seeing his name atop the leader-board isn't bad, either.
Without a bogey
Despite greens that were even faster and swirling winds that grew stronger, Curtis navigated Muirfield Village without a bogey for the second straight day to wind up at 7-under 137.
"Having no bogeys ... the last two days is a reflection of how I've been playing," he said.
Tiger Woods gave himself a chance for a fourth title at the Memorial. Despite a double bogey on the par-3 12th that killed his momentum, Woods shot 68 and was three shots off the lead.
Jack Nicklaus showed some life, too. The 64-year-old tournament host was robbed of an ace on No. 12, but still managed a 1-over 73 and made the cut.
"That's a pretty decent round of golf for an old man," Nicklaus said.
Double bogey
Rose, 23, looked as if he would have the lead to himself until he chopped the 18th hole and took double bogey, ruining an otherwise brilliant round. He settled for a 67 to match the best score of the tournament and put him in the final group with Curtis today.
Rose had the 36-hole lead at the Masters, but then soared to an 81 in the third round. The young Englishman believes that will help him down the road, maybe even this week.
"I learned halfway is nowhere," he said. "Thinking about winning, or thinking about leading, is irrelevant really."
Ames, who took a double bogey on the 18th to cost him the lead Thursday, this time finished in style hitting his approach into 4 feet for a birdie on the final hole and a 68.
"I was really happy with the way things turned out," Ames said.
One-stroke lead
The trio had a one-shot lead over Ernie Els (70), K.J. Choi (67) and Fred Couples, whose round of 69 could have been better considering his seven birdies and an eagle, or a lot worse considering his start.
Couples opened with three straight bogeys, then turned it around by chipping in for eagle and birdie on consecutive holes. He made three straight birdies on the back nine to take the lead, then gave it away with a three-putt from 6 feet on No. 17 for double bogey.
"However you get to 69 ... I mean, I could have made four birdies and a bogey," Couples said. "I'm not so sure I'd be better off to do what I did, because I hit some real good shots. And that's what I've been looking for."
The craziest shot of the day belonged to Nicklaus.
His tee shot over the water on No. 12 was perfect all the way -- too perfect, in fact. It flew straight into the cup with such force that it ricocheted off the metal bottom, shot 20 feet into the air and settled on the fringe.
"I end up missing the green after holing it," said Nicklaus, who two-putted for par.
Woods gladly would have settled for that.
A hard shot
The wind shifted as he made contact, sending his ball over the green, over the bunker, over some of the gallery and leaving him a nasty shot -- the green sloped hard away from him, with water on the other side. He managed to hit it into the first cut of rough, and his chip for par ran over the hole about 8 feet by. He missed that for double bogey.
Still, Woods only missed one of 14 fairways and rarely left himself in a tough spot.
"If you shoot a round in the 60s today, you've done some good work," Woods said. "I'm very pleased."