Tiger salvages second round with strong finish at THE PLAYERS
It wasn’t Sunday and it wasn’t for a win, but that didn’t reduce the satisfaction Tiger Woods felt on his final hole Friday afternoon at THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
After opening with a 1-over 73, the two-time event winner knew he likely needed a sub-par round to qualify for the weekend cut. It was a roller-coaster ride Friday and it all came down to the 588-yard, par-5 ninth.
By most accounts, Woods needed a birdie and he came through. After a solid drive and good lay-up, he hit a wedge from 103 yards about nine feet left of the hole. Putting last in the threesome of defending-champion Martin Kaymer and Adam Scott, Tiger gave the putt a long look, consulted with caddie Joe LaCava then buried the ball into the bottom of the cup, pumping his right fist as it fell through.
“Hopefully that holds up,” said Woods, who finished with a 1-under 71 and was tied for 61st at even-par 144 with the afternoon wave hitting the course for the second round.
Tiger, competing for the first time since tying for 17th last month at the Masters, is looking to build confidence and get some rounds under his belt. Friday’s six-birdie performance was a big step in that direction.
Starting on the par-4 10th hole, Woods nearly rolled in a long birdie putt, but settled for a par. He did birdie the par-5 11th, coming up just short of the green in two before he chipped to three feet and made the putt.
Tiger dropped a shot at the par-4 12th after he snap-hooked his drive into the trees and pine straw on the left, missed the green, hit a poor chip and two-putted for a bogey. Woods also bogeyed the par-3 13th, coming up short of the green.
With the round and cut starting to slip away, Tiger steadied with a nice par-save from the front-left bunker at the par-4 14th. He poured in a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-4 15th, then added another at the par-5 17th, two-putting from about 30 feet.
Woods navigated the testy par-3 17th and par-4 18th holes with pars, getting up-and-down again from the back bunker at the latter to make the turn in 1-under 35.
For the second consecutive day, Tiger snapped his tee shot into the left trees at the par-4 first hole and made a sloppy bogey. But Woods rebounded with a birdie at the par-5 second after his second shot wound up short-left of the green and he hit a nice pitch-and-run four feet from the cup.
Following a two-putt par at the par-3 third, Woods hit a good drive at the par-4 fourth. Upon finding his ball, Woods would discover his tee shot had settled into a sand divot. Tiger narrowly cleared the water with his second shot, hit a poor chip and two-putted for a bogey.
Faced with the prospect of missing the cut once again, Woods dug deep. At the par-4 fifth, he hit two good shots and poured in a 24-foot birdie putt. Tiger came up short with his approach shot at the par-4 sixth, but nearly sunk his chip shot and saved par.
At the par-4 seventh, Woods blocked his drive into the right rough and was blocked by trees. He played his second shot left into heavy grass and his ball came to rest in an awkward lie and stance, with his left foot well below his right. Tiger muscled his third shot 10 feet past the hole and two-putted for a bogey.
Woods hit a solid 4-iron into the center of the green at the 235-yard, par-3 eighth and teased the hole with his 29-foot birdie attempt to manage a par. Then it came down to No. 9, and the rest was history.
Woods has never missed a cut in 17 tournament appearances at TPC Sawgrass, although he has withdrawn twice due to injuries. For the second straight day, he hit 10 of 18 greens in regulation and used 27 putts.
Tiger will tee off Saturday with Graham DeLaet at 9:10 a.m. ET.
