Woods dream in tatters as Els moves clear

Tiger Woods's grand slam hopes disappeared in driving wind and rain at the British Open on Saturday as he slumped to a 10-over-par 81, the worst round of his professional career.

While the world number one plummeted down the leaderboard, South African Ernie Els birdied two of the last three holes for a one-over 72 that left him two clear of the field at five-under 208 going into the final round at Muirfield.

Denmark's Soren Hansen was second after a 73 on a day when the late starters, including Colin Montgomerie who slumped to an 84 after his 64 on Friday, had to face conditions so severe that salvaging par and just standing up could be counted as achievements.

Els said: "They were the toughest conditions I have ever seen at an Open. It was really difficult just even to keep my balance."

Woods, bidding to complete the first professional grand slam of all four majors in a calendar year, finished 11 shots off the pace at six-over 219.

"It was a disappointing day and it was tough starting out," said the 26-year-old American, whose previous highest score as a professional was a 79 at the 1996 Australian Open.

"It was raining pretty hard and howling but I tried on each and every shot.

"I hit poor shots on a tough day and that added up to a high number."

Woods, whose worst score in a major championship had been 77 in the 1998 British Open third round at Royal Birkdale, said the conditions had been as tough as he had encountered.

TWELVE GLOVES

"It was either this or the Australian Open when it was blowing like this but obviously the course wasn't set up like this," he said after going through more than 12 gloves on the day.

"This is a tough and difficult golf course with the rough being knee-high and the wind and rain coming sideways.

"It just wasn't meant to be today."

Woods, who began the round two strokes off the lead, hit only one fairway out of seven on the front nine.

He bogeyed the first and fourth holes, ran up a double-bogey seven at the fifth and dropped further shots at the sixth and eighth to reach the turn in six-over-par 42.

Chasing his third successive major title of the year, he then bogeyed the 10th and 12th holes to slide to eight over par for the day and four over for the tournament.

Worse was to come, though, for the reigning U.S. Masters and U.S. Open champion.

He double-bogeyed the par-three 13th after taking two shots to escape a greenside bunker and two-putting from just five feet before missing a three-foot putt for par at the par-four 14th.

SALUTED CROWD

He made his only birdie of the day at the par-five 17th, where he saluted the crowd and touched fists in celebration with his playing partner and good friend Mark O'Meara, who was to card a six-over-par 77.

World number three Els, one of five overnight co-leaders, dropped four shots in his first six holes on the way to a front nine of four-over-par 40 during the worst of the weather.

But as conditions eased, he birdied 11 and 13, dropped a shot at 14 and holed a 20-foot putt at the par-three 16th to tie Irishman Des Smyth for the lead.

The twice U.S. Open champion then birdied the 546-yard 17th and, with Smyth bogeying the last two holes, the South African forged two clear of the field.

"I played well on the back nine as the weather improved and I hit some good shots," said Els, who has finished in the top-three at three of the last six British Opens.

"I can't explain how pleased I am with that score."

Smyth, who returned a 74, slipped back into a share of third at two-under-par 211 -- along with six others, including early starters Justin Rose and 1997 Open champion Justin Leonard who fired matching rounds of 68 in favourable conditions.

Also at two under were Spaniard Sergio Garcia (71) and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn (73), who both battled hard in the howling wind and rain of the afternoon.

HARDEST ROUNDS

"It was one of the hardest rounds I've ever played," said Bjorn. "It was beyond belief.

"We knew this was a sleeping giant of a course but today proved harder than any of us imagined."

The 30-year-old Leonard was one over for the day after dropping a shot at the sixth but he gathered four birdies over the last 10 holes to rocket up the leaderboard.

Rose, at 21 the youngest player in the field, bounced back from a disappointing second-round 75, mixing four birdies and a bogey to draw level with Leonard.

World number two Phil Mickelson and three-times British Open champion Nick Faldo, who won the tournament at Muirfield in 1987 and 1992, failed to make the most of the early conditions, both shooting rounds of 76 to finish well out of contention.

Montgomerie's dismal 84 ended his hopes of an elusive first major championship and left him in a share of an unwanted record for the biggest swing in scores in Open history.

The 20-shot difference between his second and third rounds equalled the effort of R.G. French in 1938.