Police: Woods, wife unavailable for interview

November 28, 2009

WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP)—The Florida Highway Patrol says Tiger Woods and hiswife, Elin, are not available to be interviewed by state troopers and askedpolice to return Sunday to try to clear up questions about how he crashed hisSUV into a neighbor’s tree.

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FHP says the announcement that Woods and his wife could not speak to policeon Saturday came from his agent. Troopers previously visited Woods’ home Fridayafternoon to speak to him and were asked then to come back Saturday.

Woods smashed his Cadillac near his $2.4 million mansion at 2:25 a.m. Fridayand was briefly hospitalized, police said. His lips were cut, and Windermerepolice chief Daniel Saylor has said Woods’ wife used a golf club to smash out aback window and help Woods from the car.

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Patrol questions Tiger Woods on car accident (Reuters)

November 28, 2009

* Highway Patrol says accident investigation ongoing

* Woods’ website says he’s in good condition(Recasts with police at Woods’ house, previous MIAMI)

By Barbara Liston

WINDERMERE, Florida, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Florida HighwayPatrol went to Tiger Woods’ home outside Orlando on Saturday tointerview the world’s top golfer about events surrounding a caraccident there in the early hours the previous day.

Woods, 33, the greatest golfer of his generation and one ofthe world’s most recognizable figures, hit a fire hydrant andtree as he pulled his Cadillac Escalade out of the driveway ofhis house at around 2:25 a.m. EST (0725 GMT) on Friday, thehighway patrol said.

He was treated at a nearby hospital with what policedescribed as “serious injuries,” but the golfer’s managementteam said the accident was minor and Woods had been releasedfrom the hospital in good condition after being treated.

“The investigation is currently ongoing and no furtherinformation will be released until the completion of thetraffic crash investigation,” Kim Montes, a sergeant with thehighway patrol’s Orlando division, told Reuters on Saturday.

More than two dozen media and nine television trucks werecamped outside the guarded gates of the exclusive Isleworthcommunity when the highway patrol entered.

When police arrived at Woods’ home shortly after theaccident, the golfer was bleeding from the mouth and was “inand out of it for several minutes,” Windermere Police ChiefDaniel Saylor told CNN on Friday.

He “was on the ground, semi-unconscious and had lacerationsto the upper and lower lips,” Saylor said, adding that Woods’wife, Elin Nordegren, used a golf club to smash a window of hisSUV to get him out.

SMASHED WINDOW

Nordegren “explained to my officers that the doors werelocked and she could not gain entry” into the crashed vehicle,so she “used a golf club” to smash a window, he said.

Woods, who has two young children with Nordegren, was theonly passenger in the vehicle, Saylor said.

The accident was not alcohol-related, the FHP said. “Thecrash remains under investigation and charges are pending,” itsaid.

Woods’ office, in a statement published on his website,said: “He was admitted, treated and released today in goodcondition. We appreciate very much everyone’s thoughts and wellwishes.”

Woods is scheduled to host his annual Chevron WorldChallenge tournament in Thousand Oaks, California, next week.It starts on Thursday and Woods is expected to hold a newsconference on Tuesday.

Woods is perhaps the world’s richest athlete and thebiggest draw on the PGA tour as he chases Jack Nicklaus’ recordfor victories in major tournaments and the unofficial title ofbest golfer ever. He has won 71 times on the PGA tour in aglittering career that includes 14 major wins.

He made a triumphant return to professional golf inFebruary after missing much of last season followingreconstructive knee surgery, and finished on top of the FedExCup standings for the season.

(Additional reporting by Jim Loney and Simon Evans inMiami, Robert Green in Tampa, Mark Lamport-Stokes in LosAngeles, John O’Callaghan, Xavier Briand and Paul Simao inWashington and Martinne Geller in New York, editing by VickiAllen) ((jim.loney@thomsonreuters.com; +1 305 810 2688; ReutersMessaging: jim.loney.reuters.com@reuters.net))

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Weir inducted into Canadian Golf Hall of Fame

November 28, 2009

BRIGHTS GROVE, Ontario (AP)—Mike Weir was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hallof Fame on Saturday night at Huron Oaks, the course where the left-hander fellin love with the game.

“It’s special to do it here,” said Weir, the 2003 Masters champion. “Isee a lot of family and friends. Obviously, it’s kind of where I grew up andwhere it all began for me. I feel good. It’s a great night.”

The 39-year-old Weir has eight PGA Tour victories, matching George Knudsonfor the most by a Canadian.

Weir’s Hall of Fame plaque was unveiled Saturday night and features a sketchalong with a brief biography. It will soon make a permanent home alongside otherhonored members at the Hall of Fame on Glen Abbey’s grounds in Oakville. Anexhibit featuring Weir’s memorabilia has been on display at Glen Abbey since theCanadian Open in July.

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Woods shouldn’t stay quiet long

November 28, 2009

It has always been easy for Tiger Woods on the golf course. Until now, ithas been the same way in his personal life.

No more. Not with 911 tapes still to be heard and accident reports still tobe viewed.

The early Friday morning accident in front of his house wouldn’t have drawnthe attention of anyone other than the local cops if he were anyone else. Therewas no alcohol involved, damage was minimal, and Woods was treated at a localhospital and back home before word began to leak out.

But he’s Tiger Woods, and he’s larger than life. He pummels opponents on thegolf course, and he sells Gatorade and Nike products to millions who are in aweof what he can do.

Woods created that aura himself, carefully managing what people saw on thecourse and even more carefully managing what they were allowed to see off it.

He was the ultimate control freak, whether with a 7-iron in his hand or amicrophone. But, as Woods is so painfully learning now, even he can’t controleverything.

At some point he’ll have to talk with the troopers. More importantly, atsome point he’ll have to talk to his fans.

If not, the Internet rumor mill will keep churning. If not, the rampantspeculation will be passed off as fact.

“People are just piling on with speculation and controversy,” said DavidSchwab, a vice president of Octagon, a major sports marketing firm. “You needsomething to settle the ship. If he’s not able to do it, find someone to do itfor him.”

That ship seemed steady as a rock until this week when reports surfaced thatthe National Enquirer was planning a piece on what it said was an alleged affairbetween Woods and another woman. The woman denied in an interview with theAssociated Press that there was anything going on between her and Woods, but thereport found its way to blogs and on Twitter anyway.

Then came the bizarre scene of Woods bloodied and semi-concious in his SUVwith his wife using a golf club to smash out a window to help save him. In therush-to-judgment world that exists Online, suddenly two and two became five andthe story steamrolled even further out of control.

Assuming Woods has crisis management advisers, he had better get them on thephone. Assuming they answer, he had better listen to their advice.

Say something, and say it soon.

“He’s obviously gotten advice so far that he shouldn’t talk to anyone,”said John Rowady, president of rEvolution, a Chicago-based sports marketingagency. “That was one of the issues, albeit a different one, with MichaelPhelps. I was always a believer that you should come out and say what happenedand apologize if need be and take it from there.”

So far, though, nothing but silence. No comment from Woods, none from hisagent, and none from his spokesman.

On Saturday, they weren’t even talking to the troopers who were heading overfor an interview.

What they—and we—eventually find out may be surprising. Or it may turnout to be nothing.

Either way, Woods needs to talk.

The one thing we do know is that, for all his money and passion for privacy,it turns out Woods is not much different than anyone else. His accident partedthe curtains on his windows, and gave us a tantalizing peek inside thebarricades that a guy with a yacht named “Privacy” so jealously guarded.

It’s all part of the public record now, and it’s nothing Woods can control.

What he does need to know is this: People will forgive and, mostly, they’llforget, as witnessed with the infamous Phelps bong photo.

Woods doesn’t have any expertise in all this. Yes, he’s the most famousathlete in the world, greeted a few weeks ago like a rock star in Australia. Butoutside a few well chosen pictures of his photogenic wife and his equallyphotogenic children, no one knew much.

It was the Michael Jordan model and it worked well as Woods managed to stayout of any controversy to become possibly the first athlete to earn a billiondollars. Even his well known affinity for all things Vegas never tarnished theimage of Woods as the ultimate family man with the ultimate family.

“Here’s a guy that has a squeaky clean record. He leads the king’s life andeverybody admires him,” Rowady said. “It’s a personal matter, but his abilityto come out and talk about it will be interesting. I’m sure he has a lot ofpressure on him and is trying to avoid the rumors.”

Woods will have a chance on Tuesday when he is supposed to be at a pressconference for his tournament in Los Angeles. But in a world where informationand disinformation spread faster than swine flu, even that may be too late.

Hard to blame Woods for wanting to take a pass. Even if it was the bestscenario—that maybe Woods was just heading out for a drive—he might bemocked for his lack of skill in negotiating his driveway.

The longer Woods keeps quiet, though, the worse it will get.

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Writeto him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org

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Patrol unable to question Tiger Woods on car crash (Reuters)

November 28, 2009

* Woods unavailable for interview, says agent

* Woods’ website says he’s in good condition (Updates with failure by police to interview Woods)

By Barbara Liston

WINDERMERE, Florida, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Florida trooperswho sought to interview golf great Tiger Woods at his home onSaturday about how his SUV struck a fire hydrant and aneighbor’s tree were told by his agent to come back thefollowing day.

“The Florida Highway Patrol has received information thatTiger Woods and his wife were not available to be interviewed… as we had previously scheduled,” Kim Montes, a sergeantwith the FHP’s Orlando division, said in a statement.

“This announcement came from his (Woods’) agent. Trooperswere asked to return tomorrow (Sunday).”

More than two dozen media and nine television trucks werecamped outside the guarded gates of the exclusive Isleworthcommunity when the FHP entered for their fruitless bid tointerview Woods on Saturday.

SMASHED WINDOW

Nordegren “explained to my officers that the doors werelocked and she could not gain entry” into the crashed vehicle,so she “used a golf club” to smash a window, he said.

Woods, who has two young children with Nordegren, was theonly passenger in the vehicle, Saylor said.

The accident was not alcohol-related, the FHP said. “Thecrash remains under investigation and charges are pending,” itsaid.

Woods’ office, in a statement published on his website,said: “He was admitted, treated and released today in goodcondition. We appreciate very much everyone’s thoughts and wellwishes.”

Woods is scheduled to host his annual Chevron WorldChallenge tournament in Thousand Oaks, California, next week.It starts on Thursday and Woods was expected to hold a newsconference on Tuesday.

He made a triumphant return to professional golf inFebruary after missing much of last season followingreconstructive knee surgery, and finished on top of the FedExCup standings for the season.

(Additional reporting by Jim Loney and Simon Evans inMiami, Robert Green in Tampa, Mark Lamport-Stokes in LosAngeles, John O’Callaghan, Xavier Briand and Paul Simao inWashington and Martinne Geller in New York; editing by VickiAllen) ((jim.loney@thomsonreuters.com; +1 305 810 2688; ReutersMessaging: jim.loney.reuters.com@reuters.net))

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Police: 911 tapes of Woods’ crash expected Sunday

November 28, 2009

WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP)—Florida authorities went to Tiger Woods’ mansion toclear up questions about how he crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and aneighbor’s tree and said they plan to release tapes of the 911 call on Sunday.

Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said Saturday thatinvestigators are “trying not to get on the rumor mill.”

The world’s No. 1 golfer smashed his Cadillac near his $2.4 million mansionat 2:25 a.m. Friday and was briefly hospitalized, police said. Though therestill has been no information on where he was heading at that hour, plenty ofdetails from the crash have emerged: His lips were cut, and Windermere policechief Daniel Saylor said Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, used a golf club to smashout a back window and help Woods from the car.

The police report said alcohol was not a factor.

There are still plenty of questions. Shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday, twopatrol vehicles entered Woods’ gated community of Isleworth, where more than twodozen media and clusters of TV trucks were camped out.

Montes said the investigation should be finished within the next few days.

Woods is to host his Chevron World Challenge next week in Thousand Oaks,Calif., which benefits his foundation. Woods’ news conference had been scheduledfor Tuesday afternoon, although it was not clear if he would still play, or evenattend.

“We do not know if Tiger is playing; we are anticipating a great week ofcompetition,” said Greg McLaughlin, the tournament director and president ofhis foundation.

One of Woods’ neighbors, who didn’t want her name to be used, said it wasquiet in front of his house Saturday. She said there are usually two or threecars parked outside his home and that was the scene now as well.

The patrol said the accident occurred at 2:25 a.m. Friday and classified theinjuries as serious. The first word from Woods’ camp—some 13 hours after thecrash—was that it was a “minor accident,” and he was in good condition afterbeing treated and released.

Saylor said his two officers found the 33-year-old Woods lying in the streetwith his wife, Elin, hovering over him.

Saylor said Woods’ wife told officers she was in the house when she heardthe accident and “broke the back window with a golf club.” He said thefront-door windows were not broken and that “the door was probably locked.”

“She supposedly got him out and laid him on the ground,” he said. “He wasin and out of consciousness when my guys got there.”

In a telephone interview, Woods’ father-in-law, radio journalist ThomasNordegren, told The Associated Press in Stockholm that he would not discuss theaccident.

“I haven’t spoken to her in the last few … ” Nordegren said about hisdaughter, Elin, before cutting himself off. “I don’t want to go into that.”

Woods’ mother-in-law Barbro Holmberg also refused to address the matter.

“She doesn’t want to comment on private issues like these,” Holmberg’sspokeswoman Eva Malmborg said.

Roger Federer, who has become close with Woods in recent years, said afterlosing in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London, “I haven’tspoken to him. I heard it’s not too serious, which is a good thing.”

Asked at a Friday evening news conference if the couple could have beenarguing, Saylor said he had no knowledge of that.

The accident came two days after the National Enquirer published a storyalleging that Woods had been seeing a New York night club hostess, and that theyrecently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the AustralianMasters.

The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contactedby the AP.

“I resent my reputation is getting completely blasted in the media,” shesaid during a telephone interview late Friday. “Everyone is assuming I came outand said this. This is not a story I have anything to do with.”

Uchitel said she was in Melbourne two weeks ago with clients and never sawWoods the entire time she was there.

“The story stands for itself,” National Enquirer executive editor BarryLevine told the AP on Saturday.

Saylor described Woods’ wife as “frantic” when two officers arrived andfound her kneeling over him in the street. The couple has been married fiveyears and have two children, a 2-year-old daughter named Sam, and son Charliewho was born in February.

Nordegren, a former model from Sweden who once worked as a nanny for JesperParnevik, is as private as Woods. She keeps a low profile at tournaments,watching her husband from behind the ropes, and moves on when photographersstart taking her picture.

Woods rarely faces such private scrutiny, even as perhaps the most famousactive athlete in the world.

He usually makes news only because of what he can do with a golf club. Fewother athletes have managed to keep their private lives so guarded, or have acircle of friends so airtight when it comes to life off the course.

Woods’ $2.4 million home is part of an exclusive subdivision near Orlando, acommunity set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of smalllakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has itsown security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars such as the NBA’sShaquille O’Neal.

Woods has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, becoming the firstplayer of black heritage to win a major at the 1997 Masters when he was 21.

He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering fromreconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major,Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how hisknee would respond.

Doug Ferguson reported from Jacksonville, Fla. Associated Press writersTamara Lush and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami and Louise Nordstrom in Stockholmcontributed to this report.

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Police call tapes of Woods’ crash expected Sunday

November 28, 2009

WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP)—More than two dozen media and a cluster of televisiontrucks camped outside the gates of Isleworth on Saturday waiting for authoritiesto visit with Tiger Woods and clear up questions about crashing his SUV into aneighbor’s tree.

The Florida Highway Patrol said it expects to release tapes of the 911 callon Sunday, and it will investigate the crash that left Woods’ mouth bloodied asa traffic accident.

Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said investigators are“trying not to get on the rumor mill.”

Police said the world’s No. 1 golfer smashed his Cadillac into a firehydrant and a tree near his $2.4 million mansion at 2:25 a.m. Friday.

Plenty of vivid details from the car crash that sent Woods to the hospitalhave emerged. His lips were cut, and Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor saidWoods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, used a golf club to smash out a back window andhelp Woods from the car.

There are also plenty of questions. Troopers planned to speak to Woods aboutthe wreck Saturday afternoon, and Montes said the investigation should befinished within the next couple of days.

By 2:45 p.m. Saturday, two Florida Highway Patrol vehicles had enteredWoods’ gated community.

The neighbor said everyone in the gated community was discussing Woods’crash.

According to the patrol, Woods had just left his Florida mansion when helost control of his 2009 Cadillac and hit a fire hydrant, then a tree on hisneighbor’s property. The report said alcohol was not a factor.

The patrol reported the accident occurred at 2:25 a.m. Friday morning andclassified the injuries as serious. The first word from Woods’ camp—some 13hours after the crash—was that it was a “minor accident,” and he was in goodcondition after being treated and released.

Saylor said his two officers found the 33-year-old Woods lying in the streetwith his wife, Elin, hovering over him.

“She supposedly got him out and laid him on the ground,” he said. “He wasin and out of consciousness when my guys got there.”

In a telephone interview, Woods’ father-in-law, radio journalist ThomasNordegren, told The Associated Press in Stockholm that he would not discuss theaccident.

“I haven’t spoken to her in the last few … ” Nordegren said about hisdaughter, Elin, before cutting himself off. “I don’t want to go into that.”

Woods’ mother-in-law Barbro Holmberg also refused to address the matter.

“She doesn’t want to comment on private issues like these,” Holmberg’sspokeswoman Eva Malmborg said.

Asked at a Friday evening news conference if the couple could have beenarguing, Saylor said he had no knowledge of that. The couple, married fiveyears, have two children.

The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contactedby the AP.

Uchitel said she was in Melbourne two weeks ago with clients and never sawWoods the entire time she was there.

“The story stands for itself,” National Enquirer executive editor BarryLevine told the AP on Saturday.

Woods, coming off a two-week trip to China and Australia earlier this month,is host of the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., which startsThursday. He is scheduled to have his press conference Tuesday afternoon atSherwood Country Club. Steinberg said he did not know if Woods planned to playnext week.

Woods rarely faces such private scrutiny, even as perhaps the most famousactive athlete in the world.

Woods has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, becoming the firstplayer of black heritage to win a major at the 1997 Masters when he was 21.

Doug Ferguson reported from Jacksonville, Fla. Associated Press writersTamara Lush and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami and Louise Nordstrom in Stockholmcontributed to this report.

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Police: 911 tapes of Woods’ crash to be out Sunday

November 28, 2009

Authorities say they won’t speculate on what happened before Tiger Woodscrashed his luxury SUV, and they expect to release 911 tapes from the accidentSunday.

Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said Saturday thatinvestigators are only looking into the incident as a traffic crash. She saysinvestigators are “trying not to get on the rumor mill.”

Troopers planned to speak with Woods about the wreck Saturday afternoon.Montes says the investigation should be finished within the next couple of days.

Police say the world’s No. 1 golfer smashed his Cadillac into a fire hydrantand a tree near his mansion. His wife reportedly pulled Woods from the vehicle,bloodied from cuts on his face.

Police have said he was conscious but incoherent.

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Police to interview Tiger Woods about crash (Reuters)

November 28, 2009

* Woods crashed Friday as he exited driveway

* Wife smashed car window with golf club to get him out

* Injuries not serious, his office says

(Updates with Florida Highway Patrol quote)

By Jim Loney

MIAMI, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Police in Florida plan tointerview Tiger Woods on Saturday about the events surroundinga car accident outside the golf champion’s house.

Woods, the world’s top golfer and a major sports marketingstar, hit a fire hydrant and tree early Friday as he pulled hisCadillac Escalade out of the driveway of his house inWindermere, Florida, near Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrolsaid.

He was treated at a nearby hospital with what policedescribed as “serious injuries,” but the golfer’s office saidthe accident was minor and that Woods had been released fromthe hospital in good condition after being treated.

Investigators planned to question Woods, 33, who made atriumphant return to professional golf this year after missingmuch of last season following reconstructive knee surgery.

“We are investigating this as a traffic crash … ourofficers will be interviewing him (Tiger) this afternoon, butwe won’t be releasing any information,” Kim Montes, a sergeantwith the Florida Highway Patrol’s Orlando division onSaturday.

Nordegren “explained to my officers that the doors werelocked and she could not gain entry” into the crashed vehicle,so she “used a golf club” to smash a window, he said.

Woods was the only passenger in the vehicle, Saylor said.

The accident was not alcohol-related, the FHP said. “Thecrash remains under investigation and charges are pending,” itsaid.

Woods’ office, in a statement published on his website,said: “He was admitted, treated and released today in goodcondition. We appreciate very much everyone’s thoughts and wellwishes.”

He returned to action in February this year after beingsidelined for eight months due to the knee surgery, andfinished on top of the FedEx Cup standings for the season.

The Orlando Sentinel newspaper, citing the highway patrol,reported that the airbags in the Cadillac did not deploy, anindication that the car was traveling under 33 mph (53 kph).

“Basically it was facial lacerations, and as I’munderstanding it, nothing that serious,” Windermere Mayor GaryBruhn told CNN.

GREATEST GOLFER IN A GENERATION

Woods is the greatest golfer of his generation and arguablythe best of all time. He trails Nicklaus, his childhood idol,by just four majors in all-time standings.

Forbes magazine said in September that Woods’ victory inthe FedEx Cup, with its $10 million prize, made him the firstbillionaire athlete. He has lucrative endorsement deals withNike, Buick, Gillette and Gatorade.

“Like millions of fans around the world, we are grateful hewas not seriously hurt and has been released in goodcondition,” said Michael Norton, spokesman for Gillette, whichis owned by Procter & Gamble Co.

Forbes said earlier this year that Woods was the highestearner in sports with $110 million during the previous 12months, 2 1/2 times that of his nearest competitor.

His impact on the sport has gone beyond his performancesand earnings. As a player of mixed ethnic descent—his fatherwas African-American and his mother was from Thailand—he iscredited with broadening the appeal of the game.

Woods, who has two young children with Nordegren, isscheduled to host his annual Chevron World Challenge tournamentin Thousand Oaks, California, next week. It starts onThursday.

Born in Cypress, California, Woods was destined for golfstardom when he won three consecutive U.S. junior titles andthree successive U.S. amateur championships before turning proin late 1996.

He had swift success as a pro, becoming the youngest winnerof the Masters tournament at Augusta National in 1997. Hisvictory margin of 12 shots was the biggest in the tournament’shistory. (Additional reporting by Simon Evans in Miami, Robert Green inTampa, Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles, John O’Callaghan,Xavier Briand and Paul Simao in Washington and Martinne Gellerin New York) ((jim.loney@thomsonreuters.com; +1 305 810 2688; ReutersMessaging: jim.loney.reuters.com@reuters.net))

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Golf-Consistent Ireland cling on to World Cup lead (Reuters)

November 28, 2009

* Ireland shoot 64 for one-shot lead

* Sweden birdie last to share second with Italy

(Adds quotes)

By Nick Mulvenney

SHENZHEN, China, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy and GraemeMcDowell kept Ireland on course for a third World Cup triumphwith an eight-under-par 64 in fourballs on Saturday to take aone-shot lead into the final round of the $5.5 million event.

The Ulstermen, who led by three shots at the start of theday, were unable to replicate the fireworks of their firstround 58 but shared eight birdies in a blemish free round tomove to 26-under, a shot better than Sweden and Italy.

“We played well and we probably left a couple of shots outthere, but we are still in a great position going into tomorrowand that’s the main thing, still very positive,” world number10 McIlroy told reporters. Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, who have yet to drop ashot all week, carded a 63 in the final round foursomes to liftthe trophy for Sweden last year, so will be pleased to havekept the leaders so close with their 10-birdie 62.

“I’m very pleased that we managed to creep a little bitcloser and close the gap a little bit,” Stenson said.

“We are right in the mix tomorrow. We have the recipe fromlast year with a 63 in the foursome, if we can get anythingclose to that tomorrow, I think we have a good chance.”

Brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari kept alive Italy’shopes of a first World Cup win with a superb 61, grabbing abirdie apiece with 20-foot putts on the final two holes to movealongside the Swedes.

“It’s been a really good week, but today was probably thebest day,” Francesco said. “We both played really consistent,good golf… It would be nice to win tomorrow, first of all forus, and then for golf in Italy.”

CONFIDENT START

Japan continued to be the strongest of the Asianchallengers, firing a 64 for fourth place alongside SouthAfrica (62), seven shots behind the leaders.

The Irish started another fine, sunny day at Mission Hillswith the confidence of a pairing who have led the tournamentall week, picking up birdies at the second and third holes.

The Swedes took longer to get going but last year’sEuropean number one Karlsson soon hit a rich vein of form,picking up four shots in five holes from the third to reduceIreland’s lead to two shots.

Karlsson narrowed the gap further when he curled in a13-foot birdie putt on the 14th only for McIlroy to ram home a10-footer of his own to regain a two-stroke cushion.

World number seven Stenson had another chance to rein inthe Irish with a six-foot eagle putt at the signature 15th butmissed it and both teams recorded birdies.

Italy’s fine finish had put them ahead of the Swedes on theleaderboard but, as Ireland parred their way home, Stensondrained another long birdie putt for a share of second.

“That 63 was an exceptional score from the Swedes lastyear,” McDowell added. “I’m sure they are going to be going outthere tomorrow feeling like they can go low.

“We are just going to have to play our game, and if itmeans reacting to some scoring on the back nine, we’ll dothat.” (Editing by.John O’Brien; To query or comment on this storyemail sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) ((nick.mulvenney@thomsonreuters.com; +8610 6627 1282; Reutersmessaging: nick.mulvenney.reuters.com@reuters.net. For the newReuters sports blog Left Field:http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/))

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