Late error leaves Poulter tied for PGA lead

 

England's Ian Poulter took double-bogey at the final hole Thursday to slip into a tie for the lead with Zach Johnson at the Chevron World Challenge.

Late error leaves Poulter tied for PGA lead

England's Ian Poulter took double-bogey at the final hole Thursday to slip into a tie for the lead with Zach Johnson at the Chevron World Challenge.

A wayward tee shot at the last saw Poulter finish on four-under 68, while Johnson was delighted with a round in which he birdied all of five of the Sherwood Country Club course's par-fives.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington was a shot back on 69, while Jim Furyk, South Korea's PGA Champion Yang Yong-Eun and British Open champion Stewart Cink were tied on 70.

Johnson said the absence of tournament host Tiger Woods - who stayed home in Florida amid a swirl of scandal - was noticeable.

"Quite frankly, I think there's less of a buzz," said former Masters champion Johnson, saying it wasn't quite as "chaotic" as an event in which galleries and photographers were scrambling for a glimpse of the world number one.

But Johnson said that inside the ropes it was business as usual.

"I haven't even talked about it today, it hasn't even been a thought," he said of the Woods saga.

Golf's world number one hosts the 18-player event annually to benefit his charitable foundation.

But he withdrew on Monday, after a furor erupted when he crashed his car in strange circumstances on Friday outside the Florida home where he lives with his wife Elin and their two children.

He apologized Wednesday for "transgressions" in his personal life amid a welter of publicity over a string of alleged affairs.

Poulter, who could move into the top 10 in the world rankings with a victory this week, said he was focused his game.

"The focus for me this week is to go out there and win the golf tournament," he said. "I'm here for one reason. That's to concentrate on my goals and try and move into the top 10 in the world, and certainly the way I played today is a nice start."

Poulter's round included seven birdies. He said it could have been more but for two three-putt pars from 25 feet. He also had a birdie putt lip out at seven, and ended up three-putting from 35 feet at 18 after his tee shot hit a tree.

"Yeah, I'm leading, but I should have been way clear," Poulter said. "So I'm hitting some very, very good iron shots. I'm driving the ball in play. It was a poor three-wood off the last which got me in a bit of trouble, didn't really leave me much of a second shot."

For Poulter the tournament is the penultimate stop on a seven-tournament run to end his season.

His packed schedule has taken him around the globe and included a victory in the Barclays Singapore Open in late October, his first European Tour victory since 2006.

"This is week six in a row for me, so maybe a little bit of concentration slipping out there on the golf course might be the reason why I made three three-putts today," he said. "I've just got to make sure I get my rest today and come out tomorrow, hit more good golf shots and attack the flags."

Poulter, too, said Woods' predicament was a non-factor now that the tournament was underway.

"Obviously it's disappointing that Tiger can't be with us," Poulter said. "But looking at the field it's very strong. There's a lot of good players in the field this week and if you can go ahead and win this tournament this week it will be a big achievement."