While Tiger Woods made further encouraging strides in his rehabilitation as a tournament golfer, the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, San Diego, three Europeans were in close contention after three rounds.
Alex Noren, of Sweden, an occasional participant on the American Tour, took a one-stroke lead at 11 under par after a round of 69. Ryan Palmer is in second place, while Justin Rose lies joint fifth at eight under par.
Jon Rahm, the defending champion, who will become world No 1 should he win today, had an awful final-hole seven that may have ruined his chances.
The centre of attention, of course, was a player in midfield, Woods. His third-round 70, which left him at three under par, a respectable position, was evidence of incremental progression, following a 72 and 71.
There was little to shout about, but the important point for Woods that he was playing, getting another round under his belt. Having scraped through the cut with a birdie on his 18th hole of the second round, Woods was playing at the weekend in a full-field PGA tournament for the first time since August 2015. That was a time when the likes of Rahm and Thomas Pieters were known only to followers of college and junior golf.
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Unsurprisingly, Woods’s performance was good and bad. His driving was poor: he only hit two fairways on the front nine. His approach play was erratic. But his short game was very good, enabling him to fashion a respectable score, rather against the odds and with determination.
It was heartening to see a frequent smile, a sign that Woods is not expecting too much of himself at this stage. He appeared to be free from pain or discomfort and played better when he did not attempt to thrash the ball. One could see that if he could find a consistent and effective swing, he could score well enough to compete at a high level.
“I was just fighting,” Woods said with refreshing candour. “I didn’t have much but I put up a score.”
At present, Woods is working without a coach, feeling that he ought by now to know enough about his own swing. He may soon need another pair of eyes, for the swing is hardly in the groove. But at least he is on course.
