2009 Hazeltine PGA Championship: Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods rode his putting stroke into the lead midway through today’s final round of the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational. 

Woods, the No. 1 player in the golf’s Official World Ranking, started the round three strokes behind Padraig Harrington and quickly made up the deficit. 

He holed a 24-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 second hole, then made birdie putts of 13 feet on the par-4 fourth, 27 feet on the par-3 fifth and seven feet on the par-4 ninth to move to 12-under par for the tournament with nine holes to play. 

Harrington, a three-time major championship winner who is seeking his first victory this season on the U.S. PGA Tour, shot even-par for the first nine holes and is 10-under at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. 

Woods is aiming for his fifth tournament title of the season and 70th of his career. Next week, he’ll go for his 15th major golf title -- and first this year -- at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. Woods won the PGA Tour event preceding the first three majors this season -- the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open and the British Open. 

Harrington is the defending PGA champion.