By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DUBLIN, Ohio - Standing in the rough on the right side of the par-5 15th hole Saturday, Ernie Els' attention was diverted by a loud roar up ahead.

A Tiger roar.

Ernie Els, left, congratulates Fred Couples after his 70-yard chip-shot from the 17th fairway for birdie during the third round of the Memorial Tournament. (AP photo)

Sure enough. The crowd reacted after Tiger Woods had just birdied No. 15 - "anything but a bogey," said Woods, "that's what I was thinking there, (because) if I had made bogey, that would have forced me to birdie the last three holes to get back in the tournament" - and the chase was joined.

In the 29-year history of the Memorial Tournament, there may have been better leader boards going into the final round Sunday than Ernie Els-Fred Couples-Tiger Woods, but nobody could remember one.

Els, who shot a 66 Saturday, has a two-stroke lead over Couples (68) and a three-stroke lead over Woods (67).

Els is at 12-under par 204, Couples at 10-under 206 and Woods at 9-under 207. There are other players in the mix, but relatively nobody cares.

Els, dubbed "the best player never to have won the Memorial" by a Columbus scribe - a monicker that drew a hearty laugh from the South African ("That's pretty good - I'd never heard that one before," he said) - needs to get Tiger while the getting's good.

Els is going to be tough to beat, but he knows by whom he is being stalked.

"Tiger is Tiger," Els said. "He may not be hitting the ball as solid as four or five years ago, but his mind - the way he approaches the game, he gives it 100 percent . (He) is going to be right there (today)."

Els' 66 Saturday was by no means pure - he hit some great shots out of the rough, had some terrific par saves and stayed relatively calm.

"I left some shots out there," Els said. "I was definitely in range on No. 7, the par 5. I hit a two-iron to that bunker and didn't get up and down. Then No. 8, it was 18 feet and I didn't make that. Freddie was coming on then, and I saw Tiger was coming on, and the whole field was kind of scoring at that stage and I was kind of stalling."

But Els then did what you have to do to win this tournament: he made some hay on the 5's. He birdied No. 11 and No. 15. His seven-footer on the par-3 16th made for a two-stroke swing on Couples, who three-putted for bogey, but Couples quickly got it back with a 70-yard punch-in on No. 17 after his drive landed in the pot bunker left and he had to play out safely.

"Every time you look back and you do well in a tournament," Couples said, "you look back at all these funny things that have happened. "I made an 80-footer for eagle (Thursday) and chipped in (Friday) and holed a 70-yard shot (Saturday), so there's a lot of luck involved."

K.J. Choi and Justin Rose are two strokes back after shooting 68 and 69, respectively. Tied with Woods at three back is Stephen Ames, who shot 70.

As big as Woods' gallery always is, the Els-Couples gallery just may rival it today. Woods didn't even mention Rose, Ames and Choi when he was recalling the horse race that was developing Saturday while he was pondering his second shot on No. 15.

"I knew I had to make a birdie somehow (on No. 15) or somewhere coming in," Woods said, "because Ernie is playing so well back there and so is Fred."

As much as Els and Couples love playing golf together - watching these two guys swing, it's like trying to decide which pours smoother, maple syrup or buttermilk - Els knows who the CBS-TV golf moguls would have preferred him to paired with today, and he can't blame them. He kind of feels that way himself.

"Sometimes it's good to play with a guy that's kind of your nemesis," Els said. "It would have been a lot of fun and a little more intense to playing with Tiger (today), but you've just got to go with what you have and adapt to it."

Leaders

Ernie Els	-12	68	70	66
Justin Rose	-10	70	67	69
K.J. Choi	-10	71	67	68
Fred Couples	-10	69	69	68
Stephen Ames	-9	69	68	70
Tiger Woods	-9	72	68	67
Ben Curtis	-6	68	69	73
Kenny Perry	-6	72	72	66

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E-mail jerardi@enquirer.com