They're searching for someone to slow Tiger

CHASKA, Minn. --- Will a real rival please stand up to Tiger Woods.

That was certainly the prevailing mood at Hazeltine National on Saturday as the massive Minnesota galleries tried to will anyone within striking distance of the world's greatest frontrunner to turn the PGA Championship into a dogfight instead of another coronation ceremony.

"You could definitely feel that and could feel that there was a real championship going on here and it wasn't a runaway deal," said Ernie Els, who whipped the crowd into a brief frenzy when he pulled within one shot of co-leaders Woods and Padraig Harrington before limping home with three consecutive bogeys. "It looked like a runaway thing at the end of (Friday) but it looks like the guys are set to really give Tiger a go here and the crowd could really sense that."

Said Harrington, who gave Woods a match just last week: "I get the impression there's a lot of people who are cheering me on wanting me to push him along, but they still want Tiger to win."

They were certainly cheering anyone from any nation who might have the chance of making a game of it today. Els said it "felt like a home game" the way the crowds were greeting the three-time major winner from South Africa every time he walked up to a green. Harrington, an affable Irishman with three majors of his own, felt the same sense of support.

"There was a nice boost to that," he said.

It is the nature of the sport that everyone wants to have a bigger-than-life hero, but nobody likes to see everything come to him too easily. Bar arguments get heated when people talk about whether or not Woods has the same caliber of elite competition that Jack Nicklaus faced in his heyday. Stars such as Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Seve Ballesteros actually winged Nicklaus a few times on his way to setting the bar for major excellence.

Woods doesn't have too many dents in him. Fans here clearly wanted to see Woods have to mix it up a little more instead of waltzing to an unimpeded 15th major victory as the lead dog in the race.

"Every wants to see a battle," said Harrington, the only player to actually catch Woods for a share of the lead at one point Saturday. "Everybody hopes the underdog catches up, but when he catches up, ultimately, they want the hero to win, as usual. So that's the way all the storybooks are written and all that sort of stuff, and so that's way it is. It's part of our human nature that we support the underdog, up until a certain point."

Even Woods himself seems to agree. Last week in the WGC event at Firestone, Woods was locked in a head-to-head joust with Harrington on the final day until a slow-play warning got Harrington out of sync and led to a show-stopping triple bogey on the 70th hole. Woods was so angered by the situation that he called out the rules official (John Paramor) and has icily ignored him twice this week at Hazeltine.

"I'm sorry that John got in the way of a great battle," Woods told Harrington last week.

Woods relishes the heat as much as anyone.

"It is a rush, especially when there's a major championship involved," he said. "It's fun to go out there and test what you have, and other guys are throwing it at you and hopefully you can throw it back at them."

Woods doesn't usually wilt. He's won 16 straight times when he's held at least a share of the 54-hole lead and 47 of 50 in his career. He's 14-0 in majors when spotted the lead on Sunday.

But at least Woods didn't choke the life out of the PGA on Saturday. His winning percentage is other-worldly, and when he gets hold of a major championship lead he simply doesn't let go. Yet Saturday he failed to expand his four-shot advantage and actually had it halved by Harrington and Y.E. Yang of Korea at the end of the day.

Just a day after being the only guy in the top 16 on the leaderboard to break par and assume a four-shot lead at the midway mark, Woods did only modest damage in the third round with 71. Until he chipped in for birdie on the 14th hole, he had little reason to pump his fist.

When he missed a 10-foot birdie putt on that could have given him a little more breathing room than two shots, he didn't disappoint everyone.

"I'm trying not to smile," Harrington said.

The galleries were smiling. They marvel at Woods and many want to see him advance his quest to catch Nicklaus by winning on a course where he got nipped at the wire by Rich Beem seven years ago.

He just needs someone to step up from among the six guys within five shots that includes three-time major winners Harrington and Els as well as the reigning champs of the U.S. Open (Lucas Glover) and Players (Henrik Stenson).

"They want him to be pushed and tested and show his skills," said Harrington, who may sneak into the final group if weather forces them to play in threesomes today. "And I'm happy to fill that role."

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com