Woods will play in the final pairing of the third round with Pampling, a familiar face from their many morning practice rounds at the majors. Pampling was in the first group off Friday morning, ran off three birdies through five holes, and didn’t get unsettled by a lone bogey when he missed the fairway on the sixth hole, which plays as a par 4 at 516 yards.

“I just didn’t do anything wrong and kept myself out of trouble,” Pampling said.

He has two weeks left to try to qualify for the British Open, but would need at least a runner-up finish this week to have a chance. Otherwise, he is headed for the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

Most eyes were behind Pampling, however, with the prospects of a Woods-Kim shootout at Congressional. Kim is regarded as the most promising young American to challenge Woods, and despite a swing that deserted him midway through the round, he’s only two behind. “I hate the way I hit the ball today,” Kim said. “My swing got loose and I couldn’t find it out there. If I can stay focused and stay positive, I’ll be in good shape.”

Kim spent the rest of the afternoon on the range, pounding tee shots until he found a fix.

“Man, I didn’t hit one like that all day,” he said after one shot.

He still has 36 holes, as do many others. A dozen players were separated by five shots, including U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee, who had a 67. Even so, it starts with a familiar name at the top.

“He can be playing great and then you really don’t have a lot of chance of beating him,” Pampling said. “And then he’s just playing so-so and he’s still right there with a chance to win coming down the last nine holes. He’s just amazing how consistent he is.”