When a 12-foot putt went into the ninth hole for a third successive birdie, the IMG official turned around and remarked with a quiet smile: "OK boys. That's it." Tiger Woods still had 63 holes to play in the 82nd USPGA Championship here at Valhalla, yet the suspicion persisted that the assessment by his management group was spot on.
The defending champion went on to shoot a sparkling 66 which, as things turned out, was sufficient only to give him a share of the lead with compatriot Scott Dunlap. But Woods has achieved such dominance of major championships in recent months, that even rivals like Davis Love on 68, must have felt crushed by the relentless quality of his play.
Darren Clarke also shot a 68 which was beautifully-crafted, and then beamed at the prospect of a climactic duel with Woods for the title. But he readily conceded that this was a rather different proposition from the matchplay victory over the world's number one at La Costa.
All of these players were fortunate to be among the early starters because as the day progressed, rounds were taking six hours with the result that some of the late starters didn't finish last night.Either way, there is unlikely to be a repeat of the fascinating clash at Medinah 12 months ago, when Woods snatched victory from Sergio Garcia. After an opening 74, which ended with a wild drive down the left of the 18th, the 20-year-old Spaniard said: "I haven't been feeling great this week - not as strong as I usually am. Naturally a 74 is disappointing but I will keep trying."
It was an emotional day all round, especially in the leading group in which Woods and Jack Nicklaus were paired competitively for the first time. And they were separated by no fewer than 11 strokes, as the 60year-old shot a dispiriting 77 in what may be his last appearance in this event, a day after the death of his mother.
Typically, Nicklaus managed to put a brave face on things and was especially gracious in praise of his young partner. "He shot the easiest 66 today after missing half a dozen opportunities," he said. "I found the absolute control of what Tiger was trying to do, totally amazing. It was a privilege to be in his company."
The comment was remarkably reminiscent of the 1960 US Open at Cherry Hills where, after a 20-year-old Nicklaus had finished runner-up to Arnold Palmer, his final-round partner, Ben Hogan, declared: "The kid should have won this thing by 10 shots."
Then, borrowing the words which Bobby Jones once uttered about himself, Nicklaus added warmly: "He (Woods) played a game with which I am not familiar. But then I played a game with which I'm not familiar. But if I was once able to play like Tiger did today, I can see why people would have wanted to come and watch me."
Woods was equally gracious, managing to compliment the older man, without being condescending. "It was an honour to play with Jack in competition but I could tell at the start that his mind wasn't really there - and with good reason," he said. "It was sad what happened yesterday. I nearly lost my dad in 1996 (when Earl Woods had a heart attack)."
His extraordinary maturity was then in evidence as he explained that he couldn't really assess the full significance of the occasion at this stage. "I just want to focus on the tournament and get myself in there in contention where I have a chance to win come Sunday," he said. "That is what I'm trying to do."
But when asked to complete his dream fourball, he said: "In a tournament, it would be with Jack, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones. But if it was to be the last round of my life, it would have to be with my dad."
Meanwhile, the young man was delighted to be overshadowed as the focus of attention. "I just moseyed around while everybody was yelling `Jack!, Jack, Jack'," he said. Then, with a broad smile - "No one seemed to be taking any notice of me - and I shot 66."
In the event, Woods moseyed around very effectively, especially when carding the three birdies which so moved the IMG man. The first of these came at the 597-yard seventh where, taking the short line down the left, he was on the green with a seven-iron second shot and then two-putted from 30 feet. A 12-footer found the target at the next and he birdied the ninth from a similar distance to turn three under par.
His homeward journey started with a birdie at the 551-yard 10th where he got up and down from off the back of the green. Then came yet another 12-foot birdie putt at the 12th before he went on to finish the round with a predictable birdie at the last.
Where Clarke had hit driver and five-wood into the front bunker 20 minutes earlier, Woods needed only a three wood and a seven iron. And like the Irishman, he got up and down for a birdie, having recovered to three feet.
The presence of Dunlap at the top of the leaderboard is not all that surprising, given an impressive start to the US Open at Congressional in 1997 and an opening 68 in last month's British Open. But a second-round 78 at St Andrews confirmed that the staying power of the 37-year-old is somewhat suspect.
Naturally, he was pleased to find himself in such elevated company. "I spent all last week sitting on a couch battling a cold and I haven't played since St Andrews," said Dunlap, who had the boost of an eagle at the long second. "It meant that I felt calm all day, simply because I didn't have the energy to get excited."
