Woods struggles, but still tied for lead in Japan

The LPGA's ADT Championship is now down to the final eight players.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIYAZAKI, Japan -- Tiger Woods birdied the final hole for a 2-over-par 72 Saturday and was tied with Ireland's Padraig Harrington at 6-under 204 after a rain-drenched third round at the Dunlop Phoenix.
Woods, who started the day with a one-stroke lead over Harrington, hit a 5-wood from 247 yards, then sank an 18-foot birdie putt to finish an otherwise forgettable day on a high note in miserable rain at the Phoenix Country Club.
"It was a huge way to escape the day, to end up tied with all the things that happened today," Woods said.
"Shots like that third shot on 18, that's why he's the number one in the world," Harrington said. "As I said to him on the green, it was worth coming out for that one shot alone today.
"I feel I had an opportunity to get a two or three shot lead, so it's a little disappointing to be only tied."
Japan's Shingo Katayama (71) was two shots back in third, followed by compatriot Takuya Taniguchi (68) another shot back.
Woods, who took a five-week layoff before contesting last week's HSBC Champions at Shanghai, is looking to join Japan's Jumbo Ozaki (1994-96) as the only golfers to win the 1.69 million event three straight years.
Woods had little to get excited about apart from consecutive birdies at the fourth and fifth holes. He had a couple of unlucky breaks, most notably at the par-4 No. 2, where his drive landed behind a tree in the middle of the fairway, forcing him to chip sideways and settle for bogey.
He also double-bogeyed the par-4 7th, where his approach shot buried in a bunker guarding the green, again forcing him to play away from the hole.
Woods regained some momentum on the last hole, after Harrington bogeyed the 15th and 16th when he had a chance to take a substantial lead.
Rain is forecast again for Sunday.
Justin Rose's round came apart with a triple bogey on the par-3 17th that left the Englishman four strokes back after a 72. It came just after a birdie on the 16th where his putt cradled on the lip of the cup for a good 10 seconds before falling in.
LPGA
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Paula Creamer walked to the 18th tee knowing par would, at worst, get her into a playoff for the last spot in the ADT Championship's final round.
Making birdie, however, eliminated any need for drama.
Creamer's 4-foot putt on Saturday's last hole ensured she'd be one of eight players competing for a record 1 million first-prize check at the LPGA Tour's season-ending event. But Creamer said she didn't spend her day fixating on the chance to play for the money.
Il Mi Chung (65) was at 9-under, one shot better than Julieta Granada (69) and Mi Hyun Kim (65). Ai Miyazato was 7-under through three rounds, and Karrie Webb was alone in fifth at 6-under. Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and player of the year Lorena Ochoa were all 4-under, completing the eight-woman final-round field.
On Sunday, though, all those scores get wiped away, and the eight survivors tee off at Trump International all tied at even-par, playing an 18-hole shootout for the biggest winners' share in LPGA history.
It's a 1.55 million total purse, but second place is worth 100,000 and third 20,500.
Only 32 players qualified for the event, and of those, 16 reached the pressure-filled third round. Saturday, the field got cut in half once again.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.