Alex Cejka's Road to Victory Just Got a Lot Tougher

With a five-stroke lead after 54-holes, the Players Championship is certainly Alex Cejka’s tournament to win or lose today.

But, Cejka’s road to victory got significantly more difficult yesterday afternoon.

While Cejka did his part by firing an even-par 72 on a course that was becoming quicker and more dried out by the minute, the rest of the field crumbled like a house of cards.

Except, of course, for one man.

Woods began his third round tied for 22nd and did not by any means go out and make a Palmer-esque charge on Saturday afternoon.

Woods shot a two-under par round of 70, which involved spending much of the day in sand traps, tress, thick green-side rough and even hitting a shot left handed off the pine straw which he was forced to do on the 11th hole.

While Cejka was comfortably hitting fairways and greens all afternoon, Woods needed to put together a round that was more reminiscent of Seve Ballesteros than the typically flawless rounds of golf we have become accustomed to seeing from the world’s number one.

Woods has still not figured out how to hit the fairway off of the tee, which is an issue that’s been plaguing him ever since returning to the PGA Tour in February.

While Woods was laboring all afternoon, Cejka was a driving machine, hitting more than 85 percent of green in regulation on Saturday.

When Woods stepped out of the scorer’s tent after his third round, he was tied for ninth and it was looking increasingly likely that the Players Championship would be yet another top-10 finish for Woods while never really knocking on victory’s door.

Then, as Woods sat on his yacht about 30 miles from TPC Sawgrass, he slowly but surely moved up the leader board until those eight players separating he and Cejka had all crumbled faster than the US  economy, and Woods had amazingly made his way into today’s final pairing.

The path that Cejka and Woods have taken to this afternoon’s final pairing could not have been more different.

Cejka has missed just seven fairways all week and is playing near flawless golf, while Woods has scratched and clawed his way around a golf course that he has not experienced much success at in recent years.

But, the fact that Cejka has been a picture of accuracy while Woods doesn’t rank within the top-20 in any category this week means absolutely nothing once the two of them step onto the first tee box this afternoon.

Cejka has never, and might never again experience what he is about to go through in a matter of hours.

Despite holding the tournament lead on Saturday afternoon, Cejka had a couple of hundred fans, at most, watching him and Poulter.

As Cejka stood in the 18th fairway, he was hitting into a green surrounded by grandstands that were more than half empty.

Today, Cejka will not have the luxury of flying under the radar. In fact, he is going to experience a situation that could only be described as the exact opposite of flying underneath the radar.

Cejka will be going head-to-head with the world’s No. 1 with several thousand fans lining the fairways and tens of millions more watching their every move on national television.

Cejka will be bothered by noise, movement and rowdy fans, all while having the number one player in the world breathing down his neck all afternoon.

When Cejka was nine years old, he and his father escaped from Czechoslovakia, which was then under communist rule from Russia, by foot, bike and even swimming until they finally arrived in Germany where Cejka would spend the rest of his childhood.

Last year Cejka underwent a serious surgery on his neck, which sidelined him for three months and also lead to his right hand going numb just last week.

Off the golf course, Cejka has certainly experienced more adversity than just about anyone else on the PGA Tour.

However, on the course, Cejka has never experienced anything as trying and stressful as he will this afternoon.

From the opening tee shot, Woods will be relentlessly hunting down Cejka’s five-stroke lead, and if he happens to get close, the typical circus that makes up a Tiger Woods’ final day pairing will turn into an all-out, three ring extravaganza as these two men battle it out for the Players Championship.

The key to victory for Cejka is simple—don’t let Tiger Woods get within striking distance.

But that is a lot easier said than done. Just ask Sean O’Hair.