PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Tiger Woods aimed the putt at the right edge of the cup and watched the ball roll 60 feet down the hill, sweeping 6 feet to the left and then 6 feet to the right. The roar was deafening when it dropped in for a birdie.
"I really thought he made a hole-in-one on 17," said Jerry Kelly, who heard the commotion while walking down the 15th fairway. "It's in the back of your head. You knew something was happening."
On Sunday in The Players Championship, Kelly might get to see for himself.
Kelly handled the pressure of one of golf's biggest tournaments like a seasoned veteran Saturday, making only a few mistakes in tough conditions for a solid round of 2-under 70 to take a two-shot lead into the final round.
Now comes the last test — 18 holes over a Stadium Course that is becoming firmer, faster and more unforgiving, while paired in the final group with golf's best player.
"I've never played with him, so I don't really care," said Kelly, who was at 205. "Intimidating? He's another golfer. Tiger is going to be nervous, too. He hasn't won this tournament, either."
Woods gave himself a chance for the second straight year with a thrilling and adventurous round that included spectacular shots out of the bunker and the mangled rough, and that 60-foot birdie putt on the island-green 17th, one of the most notorious holes in golf.
No one has ever made the prestigious Players Championship his first tour victory. The first-place check from the $6 million purse is $1,080,000. Kelly could earn a three-year exemption to the Masters, the only major championship he has never played.
Kelly's best finish on tour was runner-up in the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, where Woods made his professional debut and tied for 60th. Kelly will never forget the electricity that week and said he was determined to play against Woods someday.
"I didn't think he was going to do what he did. I don't know who did, besides his father," Kelly said of the 25-year-old star who already counts the career Grand Slam among his 25 tour victories. "He's the best player in the world. I want my game to match up, and I can't wait."
Woods was spectacular throughout the day, even when he was spraying the ball all over the Stadium Course early in his round. From a fairway bunker on the No. 4, his approach over the stream caught the back of the green and spun back within a foot of the hole.
Seven strokes behind Kelly and facing the crucial part of the course on the TPC at Sawgrass, Woods finally gave himself a decent chance to reach the par-5 11th in two and took advantage with an approach to 2 feet for an easy eagle.
He rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th after having to chop out of thick rough above the green, and then gave the raucous gallery packed in around the island green on the par-3 17th something to cheer.
His 9-iron narrowly avoided going in the drink, stopping on the strip of grass between the green and the bulkhead. The putt covered 60 feet, drifting to the left as it reached the ridge, then breaking sharp and fast back to the right.
The ball caught the right edge of the hole and disappeared — if it hadn't, it probably would have kept going another 8 feet. Woods turned and gave a huge uppercut to the fans.
NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP: At Rancho Mirage, Calif., Australia's Rachel Teske shot the lowest round of the tournament, a 6-under 66, to take the third-round lead in the Nabisco Championship.
Sweden's Annika Sorenstam, chasing her third straight win, was just a shot behind after shooting her second straight 70. She was tied with 1998 winner Pat Hurst and Akiko Fukushima, with two-time winner Dottie Pepper another shot back.
Teske started the day 1 over but finished it at 5 under after a round that included six birdies and 12 pars. It could have been even better, but Teske failed to birdie any of the par-5s on the Mission Hills Country Club course.
EMERALD COAST CLASSIC: At Milton, Fla., John Schroeder, seeking his first victory in six seasons on the Senior PGA Tour, shot a 3-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead in the Emerald Coast Classic.
Schroeder had an 8-under 132 total on The Moors course. Jim Ahern was second after a 64. Andy North and Mike McCollough were three strokes back at 135, and Larry Nelson, Jose Maria Canizares and Bruce Fleisher were another shot behind.
SAO PAULO BRAZIL OPEN: At Sao Paulo, Brazil, lightning disrupted the Sao Paulo Brazil Open for the second straight day, leaving South Africa's Darren Fichard with a three-stroke lead.
Ninety-nine players who were unable to complete the second round Friday managed to do so Saturday. Then foul weather struck again, postponing the third round until Sunday.
Fichard shot a 4-under 67 and was at 14-under 128. Australia's Brett Rumford climbed into second place with a 65.