Turf kicks up as Tiger Woods of the United States plays a shot out of the long grass on the 8th in... 
(AP)
Tiger Woods has been saying since he first showed up on the PGA Tour that he plays only to win.
Lately, he has been making just as many headlines when he loses.
In the 268 official tournaments that Woods has played around the world as a pro, he has never gone three consecutive events without winning when he held at least a share of the 36-hole lead.
That streak was in jeopardy Sunday in the Australian Masters, where Woods looked to be in control with a three-shot lead until stumbling to an even-par 72 in the third round to fall into a three-way tie with the Australian duo of Greg Chalmers and James Nitties.
For that, Woods was thankful.
"I played myself into a tie for the lead, and I could have easily played myself straight out of the tournament," Woods said Saturday. "But I grinded, I hung in there and turned it around. That's a huge positive."
He took a lousy session on the practice range onto the course at Kingston Heath, and it never got any better.
Woods blocked a 3-iron on the opening par 5 and failed to make birdie for the first time all week. He came up short of the third green with a wedge and three-putted from the fringe for a bogey. He missed the seventh fairway well to the right, and short-sided himself in a bunker on the eighth, both times making unlikely pars.
The low point came at the 13th, where he was so angry after another shot sailed to the right that he slammed his driver into the ground and it bounced up and into the gallery. A surprised fan caught the club and returned it to him.
"That was my mistake," Woods said. "I got hot after a bad tee shot and let go of the club."
The reaction will be far worse if he fails to win the Australian Masters after going into the final round tied with two players who are not among the golf's elite.
Nitties just finished his rookie season on the PGA Tour and easily kept his card, although he is No. 223 in the world ranking. Chalmers, who hasn't won in Australia in 11 years, also finished among the top 100 on the PGA Tour money list and is No. 194 in the world. His goal this year was not to return to Q-school.
