Mahan and Watney set the pace

Golf: After a remarkable few months for European golf the American fightback was under way in Miami today — but it had nothing…

Golf:After a remarkable few months for European golf the American fightback was under way in Miami today — but it had nothing to do with Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. While they remained deep in the pack with scores of 70 and 72 respectively, compatriots Hunter Mahan and Nick Watney shared the lead early in the third round.

From two behind overnight Watney moved in front at the WGC-Cadillac Championship by sinking a 25-foot eagle putt on the first and converting a six-foot birdie chance at the second, but Mahan then got up and down from sand on the par-five opener.

They were both 10 under par as a result, one in front of another home player Matt Kuchar and also world number one Martin Kaymer and Italian Francesco Molinari. By then Woods and Mickelson, playing partners for the third day running, were already back in the clubhouse on two under and level par respectively.

Mickelson promised so much more with his front nine 33 — it included holing a bunker shot on the seventh — but with a double bogey six at the 14th he came home in an error-strewn 39 to drop outside the top 40 in the 66-strong field.

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Woods, meanwhile, produced a real mixed bag once more, four birdies being offset by bogeys on the 13th and 17th as he remained just outside the leading 30.

His barren spell is now 16 months and with Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey among those ahead of him there is every prospect of him falling further down the world rankings from his current fifth.

Lee Westwood’s slow start to the season was continuing and at two under for the day and the tournament with one to play he was nowhere near the fourth-placed finish he needed just to have a chance of taking the world number one spot back off Kaymer.

Indeed, it was far more likely that he would slip to third as fellow Englishman Luke Donald, winner of the World Match Play a fortnight ago, was only two off the lead after three birdies in his first six holes.

McIlroy was only one behind when he two-putted the first for birdie like Kaymer, but he could not get up and down from sand at the short fourth or the sixth and, with the birdies from Watney and Mahan, the 21-year-old dropped four back.