THE MONOPOLY exerted on these events by Tiger Woods has a demoralising effect on the rest. In yesterday’s third round of the CA Championship at Doral, where the world No 1 doubled his lead to four shots, one of the chasing pack was so unhappy with his lack of progress that he allowed frustration to get the better of him.

Sergio Garcia is an emotional sort at the best of times, but there was no excuse for his behaviour on the 13th green, where he spat into the cup after three-putting. The Spaniard, who ended up seven behind Woods after a 71, is expected to be fined by the PGA Tour for a show of petulance witnessed by millions of television viewers.

“Yes, I did it,” he admitted. “But there was nothing to it. I missed a putt and I was not too happy. Don’t worry. It did go in the middle. It wasn’t going to affect anyone else. If it did, I would have wiped it off.”

Perhaps Aaron Baddeley and Geoff Ogilvy should be the judges of that, given that they were in the group behind, and had the unenviable task of dipping their hands into who-knows-what.

While many players have a habit of spitting on the course, it is thought to be the first time that somebody has done it in the hole. It is the latest in a long list of transgressions by Garcia, whose volatile personality first came to prominence when he kicked a shoe away in the World Matchplay at Wentworth. He once walked off after nine holes of a pretournament pro-am when he fell out with his playing partner. And there was also a nasty dispute in Australia with John Paramor, the European Tour’s chief referee.

Even Woods has been known to clear his throat now and then, but never in the hole. “I haven’t done that, no,” he confirmed later. “Unfortunately, I say things I shouldn’t say, and do things I probably shouldn’t do. A lot of it’s just anger.”

He had scant reason to demonstrate the habit yesterday. His 68, which included three birdies and an eagle, propelled him to 11 under par, four clear of second-placed Brett Wetterich. Nick O’Hern, his conqueror at the recent WGC-Accenture Matchplay, is on six under, with Thomas Bjorn and Ernie Els among a group of six players a stroke further back. Paul Casey, whose 66 equalled the best round of the week, is the leading Briton, on four under.

Woods required only one hole to consolidate his position as the overnight leader. His partner, Rod Pampling, must have been dismayed to find that, after a birdie at the par-five first hole, he was a shot worse off than he had been when he started. Woods split the fairway with his drive, delivered the most perfect iron from 226 yards, and holed his eagle putt from 10 feet.

A boisterous, boozed-up crowd were enthralled by Woods’ procession round this windswept Miami suntrap, known as the Blue Monster. Although he dropped a shot at the sixth, his first bogey in 30 holes, he hit back with two birdies, and another at the 17th.

Given his flawless record in these positions, it is almost unthinkable that he will do anything but win this evening.

That this is a world golf championship renders the conclusion all but foregone. Of the 23 that have been played, Woods has won 12. Add to that his track record at Doral, where he has won on his last couple of visits, and there is more chance of snow in Miami than there is of him throwing this one away. In his last 11 rounds here, he is 55 under par.

Casey’s crazy voyage through the highs and lows of the Florida Swing continue. At Bay Hill last week, where he led by two shots with 27 holes to play, he plummeted from contention with rounds of 73 and 74. At Doral, where he opened with a 76, he has been no less predictable, carding a 66 that could have been even better. Casey attributes his dramatic loss of form to the flu bug that began to catch up with him midway through the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I was actually very happy to get through last week and finish where I did because I didn’t feel like playing on Sunday. My body was aching and I was on antibiotics. You don’t Woods: in sight of victory ever want to get sick, but at least I’m over it now, and hopefully fresh for The Masters.”

Casey is a confidence player, On the other hand, he finished birdie-birdie-par on a closing who thrives on the adrenaline of red numbers, so when he needed only 32 strokes to reach the turn yesterday, protecting it wasn’t his priority. “I like to go as low as possible,” said the Englishman, who could have gone even lower had the par fives on which he is usually at his most dangerous not yielded just one stroke.

stretch that includes the Blue Monster’s notorious 18th. Casey had double-bogeyed it in each of the first two rounds, while Colin Montgomerie suffered the ignominy of a seven there on Friday.

“It’s a narrow gap and you have to dangle the ball over the water,” said the Englishman. “It is a beast of a hole.”