Watney Leads By 3 Strokes At PGA Championship

(AP) Nick Watney won't be overlooked at this major.

Watney opened a three-stroke lead at the PGA Championship on Saturday afternoon, making birdies on five of his first seven holes on his way to 12 under.

Liang Wenchong broke the Whistling Straits record by a stroke with a bogey-free, 8-under 64. As he finished his round, Liang smiled and pumped his fist. He'd missed the cut in his only other PGA Championship appearance, and his low score this year on either the PGA or European tours was a 66.

Joining Liang at 9 under were Dustin Johnson, who melted down at Pebble Beach after being the 54-hole leader, Rory McIlroy, Bryce Molder, Martin Kaymer and Jason Day. All were still on the course.

Tiger Woods had a chance to make things interesting, pulling within five strokes of the lead after the second round was completed Saturday morning. The fog that wreaked havoc on the first two days of the tournament finally lifted and the wind shifted - perfect conditions for Woods to make a run.

"The course is the easiest I have seen it and it is there for the taking," said Paul Casey who, like Woods, is at 3-under 213.

But Woods backed up early Saturday afternoon, and had to close birdie-birdie just to finish at even par for the day. When he finished, he was nine strokes - and more than two dozen players - behind Watney.

"It was just a struggling day, and I'm done with it," Woods said.

With only 72 players making the cut and three-player groups going off both tees, the third round should be completed before dark Saturday, meaning the tournament will finish on time after all.

Watney was seventh at both the Masters and the British Open, tying for high American honors at St. Andrews. But he wasn't a factor in either tournament, and few outside his own family paid much attention.

That's not the case this week.

Watney needs a good showing at the PGA to play himself onto the Ryder Cup team - he was 16th in the standings when he arrived at Whistling Straits - and if there are any doubts about his goal, "U-S-A" is stamped on the heel of his shoe.

Watney leapfrogged second-round leader Matt Kuchar with birdies on his first two holes and kept pouring it on. He was strong off the tee and solid on the greens, and recovered well from his few mistakes. Take the 598-yard No. 5. His chip on his second shot took off, flying clear across the green and stopping about 18 feet past the hole.

He wound up with a birdie.

Watney didn't give up a stroke until No. 8, when his second shot landed in thick rough. He got within 8 feet, but the putt to save par wouldn't drop.

Woods had worked himself back into the mix Saturday morning, but he couldn't maintain the momentum in the afternoon. Not that he didn't have chances. He left a 20-foot birdie putt short on No. 1. After making a great recovery following a drive into the left rough on the par-5 No. 2, he ran a 10-footer for birdie long.

As the crowd groaned, Woods rubbed the back of his neck. He's played the par-5s, normally gimme birdie hols for him, at 1 over this week.

There was trouble off the fourth tee, as Woods drove into the deep rough on the left side of the hole. He tried to jam his driver head first into his bag, but even that wouldn't drop.

He punched into the middle of the fairway, and still had a chance to save par with a 15-footer from above the hole. But it ran past the hole, too, and Woods stood there glaring, hand on hip.

"Ironically enough, today I hit the ball better than I did the first two days. I made nothing. You have to putt," Woods said. "I stuffed it in there early on the first few holes and made nothing, and also had a few other putts on the front nine. You know, no matter how good you hit it, you've still got to make putts. I just didn't do that today."

Tom Lehman had the shot of the day, acing the 217-yard 17th with a 4-iron. Lehman, who won the Senior PGA title earlier this year, ran off the tee slapping hands and high-fiving fans.

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