Kenny Perry started with a two-shot lead, doubled it two holes into his final round, and now has lost it all. But instead of being tied with Tiger Woods, as most would expect, he's joined at 7 under by Phil Mickelson, who just birdied the eighth hole -- nearly making an eagle -- to tie for the lead. Woods, Sean O'Hair, and Steve Marino are tied for third, two shots back.

For Mickelson, it's been an uphill battle from the first day, when he made a quadruple bogey and was seven shots off the lead on Thursday night. His deficit was five shots after two rounds, and four shots after three. Now, after three final-round birdies over his first eight holes, he's tied for the lead.

Perry is fortunate to still be tied. He's saved par on the last two holes (Nos. 6 and 7) with long par putts, making an 8-footer on the par-3 sixth, and a 14-footer on No. 7. After putting for birdie on the first two holes -- holing a 29-footer on No. 2 -- Perry has missed the last five greens.

Kenny Perry and Tiger Woods have just begun their final rounds at the Tour Championship, separated by two strokes and with quite a lot on the line. Perry, who leads by two at 8 under par, is a pretty good closer, going on t win 10 of the 18 times he's taken a lead into the final round. The most recent occurrence caused Perry the most heartache; he's was the 54-hole co-leader at the Masters this year, and led by two strokes with two holes to play. Two closing bogeys followed, and Perry lost a playoff with Angel Cabrera.

Woods won't be fazed by a two-shot deficit. He's won 20 times on the PGA Tour when trailing going into the final round.

The Tour Championship winner will collect $1.35 million, and the winner of the FedEx Cup gets $10 million. A tournament victory would automatically make Woods the FedEx Cup champion. For Perry to win the $10 million, he'll need to win the Tour Championship, and have Woods finish no better than a tie for third.

Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington, paired together again, were just put on the clock while leaving the 14th tee, bringing to mind the closing holes at the Bridgestone Invitational. It was there, last month during the final round at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where Harrington, admittedly rushing, made a quadruple bogey 8 on the par-5 16th, almost handing the tournament to Woods, who went on to win by four.

Woods is in third place at 5 under, while Harrington is tied for fourth at 4 under. But when PGA Tour rules official Slugger White notified the two that they were on the clock while leaving the 14th tee, the twosome directly in front of them, Sean O'Hair and Ernie Els, were approaching the 15th green.

Both Woods and Harrington hit the 14th green, and both missed birdie putts. Kenny Perry continues to lead. He's 6 under par for the day to get to 8 under, two shots in front of O'Hair.

The rain has held off so far and low scores are out there, creating a new look to the third-round leaderboard at the Tour Championship. Because of inclement weather that's expected this afternoon, tee times have been moved up (television coverage will come on at the regularly scheduled time, and shown on a tape delay; if there are no weather delays, play is expected to finish by 2:30 p.m.).

Kenny Perry birdied his first four holes, and he's passed Tiger Woods at 6 under par to take a one-shot lead. Perry has played eight holes, Woods seven. Woods began with a one-shot lead, but just bogeyed the seventh to fall out of a tie with Perry. Sean O'Hair and Padraig Harrington are tied for third, two shots back at 4 under.

Overnight rain and generous pin placements have left East Lake Golf Club slightly vunerable today. Geoff Ogilvy took full advantage, starting the third round in dead last but shooting a tournament-low 64. His playing companion, PGA champion Y.E. Yang, shot 66. Steve Stricker is 4 under on his round, Steve Marino 3 under, and Phil Mickelson 2 under.

Every amateur golfer can probably relate to what just happened to Stewart Cink. The consequences are probably a little higher this time, though.

Cink was tied with Tiger Woods for the lead in the second round of the Tour Championship when he reached the tee of the 458-yard 10th hole. Cink's drive was pulled left, landed in the rough, and took one big hop over the out-of-bounds fence, which is roughly seven feet high.

So Cink was handed another golf ball by his caddie, teed up again, and sent his second drive (and third shot, after the penalty) left again. This one cleared the fence on the fly, his second straight shot out of bounds.

Now hitting his fifth shot from the 10th tee, Cink's third attempt with the driver went left again. Mercifully, this one stayed on the East Lake property, nestling in the left rough perilously close to a fairway bunker. His feet were in the bunker, his ball was out of it, and Cink sent his sixth shot to the front fringe. He chipped on, then tapped in for a quadruple-bogey 8, dropping from a tie for first to a tie for seventh.

It feels like the middle of summer, with temperatures in the 80s and high humidity. Rain is expected later today, but so far the second round of the Tour Championship has been unaffected. Sean O'Hair and Stewart Cink, playing in the final group today, just teed off, with O'Hair still leading Cink, Tiger Woods, and Padraig Harrington by one stroke.

Heath Slocum, who won The Barclays and would win the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus with a victory here, has the best round of the day going. He's 4 under par through 11 holes, and is now tied for fifth at 1 under. David Toms (1 over) is 3 under for his round, while Phil Mickelson (1 over) is 2 under through 11 holes.

Inclement weather is expected tomorrow, which has forced PGA Tour officials to move up the start times for the third round. Weather permitting, tee times will now begin at 8 a.m., with the last group projected to tee off at 10:20 a.m. and finish by 2:30 p.m.

The sun is out, the temperatures is up, and all 30 players have begun their first rounds of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Stewart Cink, one of a few players in the field with ties to Atlanta, is 4 under par and leads by two shots over Scott Verplank, Sean O'Hair, and Padraig Harrington.

Just completed a stroll around the front nine and saw, among other things:

Playing together, Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy both hit their opening drives well right of the first fairway, with trees blocking their path to the green. Ogilvy went low with his second shot, punching it through the fairway and short of the green; Mickelson chose the flopadopolous, and carried it over the tree in front of him, but also well short of the green. Both players chipped on, and both missed their putts for par.

The rough at East Lake is thick Bermuda grass, and anyone finding it might not be able to advance it very far. Retief Goosen, playing the 538-yard fifth hole, a downhill par-4, found that out when he pulled his tee shot left. He surveyed the lie, knew he couldn't get much club on the ball, and decided to wedge out to a favorable yardage. He hacked it back to the fairway, then hit his third shot to 2 feet, setting up a par that was hardly routine.

Brian Gay's tee shot on the par-3 sixth, possibly East Lake's signature hole with water front, right, and long, barely cleared the hazard. He chipped on, then missed his par putt. If his swing kept his golf ball dry by the slimmest of margins on the tee shot, his actions after making bogey ensured its watery demise. Gay picked the ball out of the hole, then rifled it into the lake.

Tiger Woods, who is 1 under through three holes, has his share of fans here. But an older gentleman was spotted wearing a rather crudely-made T-shirt that said "Anyone But Tiger" on both the front and back.

Commissioner Tim Finchem, while painting an overall positive picture of the state of the PGA Tour, said the possibility exists that the Tour will lose tournaments in the upcoming seasons, and will almost certainly lose title sponsors. While tournaments might be lost, Finchem didn't think it would necessarily mean an upcoming schedule with a smaller number of events. He likened it to the Buick Open, which ended its 51-year run on Tour this past year, but is being replaced next year by the Greenbrier Classic.

"We will have a good, solid schedule in 2010, but I think it's also important to recognize that marketing budgets are still down, and with the underlying economic factors stable but not getting worse, that's good," Finchem said. "But it's certainly going to take a while to improve. In a nutshell, I'd characterize the situation as good, maybe even comparatively quite good, when you look at other enterprises. We have our challenges ahead of us."

While admitting that most golf fans might not understand how the FedEx Cup points system works, Finchem said he's pleased with how things have played out this year, with the season almost breaking down into three parts: the events leading up to the four playoff events; the first three playoff events (Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship) that determine the Tour Championship field; and now this week, with 30 players competing for the FedEx Cup, everyone eligible to win the $10 million bonus after the points were reset.

NORTON - Steve Stricker could hear the roars from the groups ahead of him. The huge galleries at the Deutsche Bank Championship saved the biggest one for him.

Stricker won the PGA Tour's second playoff event, depositing the $1.35 million winner's paycheck after making clutch birdies on the final two holes.

The emotional Stricker, one of the most popular players among his peers on Tour, took over the top spot in the FedEx Cup points standings from Tiger Woods, who electrified the TPC Boston crowd with a final-round 63, settling for a tie for 11th.

Stricker's birdie on the par-5 18th left him at 17-under-par 267, a stroke ahead of Jason Dufner and Scott Verplank. Dufner (65-268) was on the range hitting balls in hopes of a playoff while Stricker was about to putt out.

Scoring conditions were ideal once again, with 36 of 73 players shooting in the 60s, highlighted by Woods, who made two bogeys on the back nine, foiling his chance at the course record of 62 (set by Vijay Singh and Mike Weir).

The fireworks started early, with Woods sizzling to a front-nine 6-under 30. But Woods knew his 12-under total was not going to win. "Soft greens, no wind, and pretty benign pins; they'll go low," Woods said, referring to the rest of the field, and they did, most notably Padraig Harrington, who got to 16 under after a birdie on No. 9, a front in which he shot 4-under 32.
But like the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, Harrington made a big number down the stretch, a double bogey on 12 derailing the Irishman's momentum.

Stricker stayed the course. He began the day in a three-way tie for first, then birdied the par-5 second and the par-4 fourth to get to 15 under. Stricker's only bogey came at the par-4 sixth, then he ran off 10 straight pars. With Jason Dufner in the clubhouse at 16 under, Stricker had to make his move.

"There was a lot of guys in the mix," said Stricker, who was staring at a three-way playoff when Scott Verplank rolled in a birdie on 18 to get to 16 under. "And I just found a way to get it done."

Jason Dufner, a 32-year-old veteran from Auburn University, made a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th for a 65 to get to 16-under at the Deutsche Bank Championship, good for the clubhouse lead.

Steve Stricker is 15 under through 14 holes and Scott Verplank is 15 under through 17, likely the only players who can catch Dufner. Padraig Harrington got it to 16 under through nine, but bogeyed the 10th and dounbled the 12th, leaving the Irishman at 14 under through 17.

Long hitters Angel Cabrera and Dustin Johnson each had birdie putts to get to 16 under, but could not convert.

With a tiger-costumed supporter, Woods navigates the TPC Boston. (Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff)

NORTON - Electrifying the galleries with a final-round charge, Tiger Woods put a scare into the course record -- and undoubtedly the rest of the field -- with an 8-under 63 in the Deutsche Bank Championship this afternoon.

Woods was 8 under for the day after a sizzling birdie on No. 15, just one shot off the course record with a short par-3 and and a short par-5 remaining. His tee shot on the par-3 16th hit the green and bounced into the rough, a difficult pin cut back and left.

Woods got it up and down, then split the fairway on the 412-yard 17th. But his approach went left and slightly long, with the pin cut right, Woods had to negotiate a difficult putt over a ridge and downhill. The putt slid 6 feet past and he missed the par save to drop to 7 under.

Needing an eagle on the par-5 18th tie the course record, Woods smoked his drive into the fairway, then pumped an iron onto green, but well left of the pin, which was cut to the far right. He two-putted for birdie and settled for a 63 and a 12-under total, with little hope of getting into a playoff.

In fact, Padraig Harrington was tearing up the front nine and is currently leading at 15 under through six holes.

Woods shot 6-under 30 on the front and visions of the course record -- and perhaps a 59 -- filtered throughout the gallery, especially when he made birdie on the par-4 10th. But he knocked his tee shot into the sand on the par-3 11th ("Wrong club selection," he said) and made bogey, slightly derailing his momentum.

"Soft greens, no wind, and pretty benign pins; they'll go low," Woods said, referring to the rest of the field.

Tiger on the prowl? (Jim Rogash / Getty Images)

NORTON - Tiger Woods has birdied three straight holes -- Nos. 2-4 -- and is 3 under for the day and 7 under for the tournament. Woods is going to need a lot more birdies; the leaders are at 13 under, and the winning score will likely be 15 or 16 under.

An 11-under 60 will get Woods to 15 under, an inconceivable notion for any other player except Woods.

Steve Stricker, Retief Goosen, and Sean O'Hair are more than two hours away from beginning their final rounds at the Deutsche Bank Championship, while Tiger Woods has been on the course for nearly an hour. He began the final day tied for 30th, nine shots behind.

It's unusual -- at least this season -- for Woods to not be in contention in the final round. But for the threesome tied for the lead, not having Woods in the rearview mirror suits them just fine.

"It's always nice if you're up around the lead that he's not there," Stricker said yesterday, after his third-round 65. "Yet it's good for the tournament when he's there. It's good for TV when he's up there. But as a player, it's nice that if you're up around the lead, that he's not."

Said Goosen: "The players are happy that he's not up top of the leaderboard. The sponsors are unhappy that he's not on top of the leaderboard. He's the guy that brings in the ratings for us and the crowds."

NORTON - Monday's tee times were just announced. Tiger Woods and Lucas Glover are paired again and will tee off at 10:30 a.m. The leaders will tee off at 1:30 and 1:40 p.m.:

7:50 a.m. - Justin Rose and D.J. Trahan
8 - Richard S. Johnson and Fredrik Jacobson
8:10 - Briny Baird and Ryuji Imada
8:20 - Luke Donald and J.J. Henry
8:30 - Bob Estes and D.A. Points
8:40 - Boo Weekley and Jonathan Byrd
8:50 - Woody Austin and Greg Chalmers
9 - Daniel Chopra and Greg Owen
9:10 Brandt Snedeker and Phil Mickelson
9:20 Pat Perez and Nick Watney
9:30 - Brian Davis and Scott Piercy
9:40 - Davis Love and Brian Gay
9:50 - Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes
10 - Camilo Villegas and Brett Quigley
10:10 - Kenny Perry and Y.E. Yang
10:20 - Michael Letzig and David Toms
10:30 - Lucas Glover and Tiger Woods
10:40 - Kevin Streelman and Troy Matteson
10:50 Vijay Singh and Steve Marino
11 - Matthew Goggin and Scott McCarron
11:10 - Stephen Ames and Jason Bohn
11:20 - Bryce Molder and Sergio Garcia
11:30 - Charley Hoffman and Charles Howell
11:40 - Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan
11:50 - Bill Haas and Charlie Wi
noon - Zach Johnson and Jason Day
12:10 - Mike Weir and Justin Leonard
12:20 - Mark Wilson and Jeff Overton
12:30 - Geoff Ogilvy and Marc Leishman
12:40 - Matt Kuchar and Angel Cabrera
12:50 - Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk
1 - Jason Duffner and John Senden
1:10 - Jerry Kelly and Kevin Sutherland
1:20 - Padraig Harrington and Scott Verplank
1:30 - Sean O'Hair and Kevin Na
1:40 - Steve Stricker and Retief Goosen

NORTON -- Steve Stricker, Retief Goosen, and Sean O'Hair are tied for the lead after three rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

Goosen had a chance to take the solo lead on the par-5 18th, but he bunkered his approach and hit a poor shot out of the sand, settling for a two-putt par.

After two days playing with Tiger Woods (4 under, likely out of contention), Steve Stricker was paired with Jerry Kelly, a fellow Madison, Wis., native, and fired the low round of the day, a 6-under 65. Kelly was almost as impressive, shooting 67 to get into a tie for seventh.

Fast greens, tricky pin placements, and a slight breeze made for much tougher scoring; only 28 players broke par in Round 3.

NORTON -- Needing to go low and get some help to pull into contention, Tiger Woods went high, a 1-over 72 likely putting an end to his hopes of winning the Deutsche Bank Championship for the second time.

Woods is 4 over for the tournament, and he could be double digits behind the leader by the end of the day.

Phil Mickelson finished off a 1-over 72 with a brilliant up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th. Mickelson hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker, and undaunted, went for it in two. He hit it into the gallery, short and left, but got up and down.

The galleries for Woods and Mickelson were as enormous as the difference in personalities of golf's biggest stars. Mickelson slapped hands with the fans, waved and smiled to a ho-hum round. Woods remained focused on the task at hand. Both players signed autographs after their rounds, although Mickelson was more accommodating. Woods was asked to share his thoughts post-round but declined.

Only a handful of players have completed their third rounds at the Deutsche Bank Championship today, but the scoring average is up roughly two shots from the first two days, when TPC Boston's conditions and the weather meant some serious attacks on par.

Sergio Garcia, one of the early finishers, offers this assessment: "It's definitely playing a little bit tougher with this wind and the firmness of the course and the greens. But it's the kind of course that if you play well, because of how firm it is, you'll have some short irons into the greens and you can score. The wind is quite tricky out there, it's swirling a little bit, gusting. The course is not playing as easy as the first couple days, but it wouldn't surprise me if one of those guys [near the lead] shoot 3 or 4 under. I don't think [the lead after the third round] will be much lower than it is at the moment."

Garcia birdied the last two holes and shot 68, which will likely improve his position on the leaderboard and the FedEx Cup points list. Garcia started the week 71st on the points list, and only the top 70 advance to next week's BMW Championship in Chicago.

NORTON - Tidbits from around TPC Boston:

*If you have ever paid $45 for a half-hour golf lesson, a ducat to the Deutsche Bank Championship is worth the price - for the practice range alone. The bleachers are very close to players, and you can study the pros' moves as they prepare to play. It gets really good when Mr. Driving Range, Vijay Singh, shows up with his bag of tricks.

*Overheard only in metro Boston - and possibly Fiji:
Female media member to male counterpart:
Female: "My girlfriend says Vijay Singh is hot."
Male: "A spectator probably breathed during his practice swing. He's usually ticked off about something."
Female: "No, no .... She thinks he's hot, as in hot-looking."

NORTON - John Senden made it on the first page of the leaderboard with a double eagle on the par-5 second, holing out a 4-iron from 250 yards. Senden is 8 under six holes to play.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods it hitting everything but the fairway. He hit it in the fescue on No. 9, punched out, but saved par to remain at even par for the tournament. The projected cut is even. Woods mised the cut at the British Open in July.

NORTON -- Australian Tour rookie Marc Leishman turned in the round of the day so far, a 9-under 62, today in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

Leishman briefly held the clubhouse lead until the tournament's most formidable threesome signed their cards. Sean O'Hair, first round co-leader Jim Furyk, and Retief Goosen stormed through the Norton woods in a combined 15 under, highlighted by O'Hair's 64, which got him into an early tie at the top with Furyk (63-67) at 12 under.

Goosen shot 67 to tie Leishman for third at 10 under.

"The other two guys are playing so well it felt like I was shooting 80 at one stage," Goosen said.

In breaking news, Kevin Stadler snapped an iron after his approach on his penultimate hole, the eighth, then ditched it into the woods. The son of the Walrus shot 1-under 70 and is 1-over total. The projected cut is even par.