At Bay Hill, Tiger starts strong with 3-under 69
Tiger Woods usually plays well in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla., a tournament he has won a record six times. Thursday was no exception.
Although he didn’t do anything spectacular, Tiger shot a 3-under-par 69 and finished Day 1 tied for fourth place, three strokes behind co-leaders Charlie Wi and Jason Dufner.
“I didn’t really do anything great today,” said Woods. “I was solid all day. I drove the ball well, hit my irons decent and putted all right. I had two three-putts, but also made a couple bombs out there. It was just one of those days where not a lot was going on.”
Woods was an early back-nine starter with Ernie Els and Hunter Mahan.
Tiger did well to two-putt the par-4 10th hole from 39 feet, leaving his birdie attempt 10 feet short of the cup. He two-putted the par-4 11th hole from 29 feet.
At the par-5 12th, Woods drove into the right rough, then knocked his second shot on the green from 254 yards and two-putted for a birdie from 45 feet. He gave himself another good birdie chance at the short, par-4 13th, but was unable to convert from 15 feet.
Tiger hit his tee shot into the left greenside bunker at the 215-yard, par-3 14th hole. He blasted to five feet and sunk the par putt.
Woods added his second birdie of the round at the 467-yard, par-4 15th hole. After finding the fairway with his drive, he hit his second shot from 159 yards 32 feet from the cup and buried the putt.
Tiger moved to 3-under on the side with a birdie at the 511-yard, par-5 16th hole. He didn’t start well, driving into the right fairway bunker, but ripped his second shot from 235 yards onto the back of the green and two-putted from 73 feet.
At the always-difficult, 221-yard, par-3 17th, Woods hit his tee shot about 40 feet beyond the pin but three-putted for a bogey, missing from just inside six feet.
Tiger got up and down from the back of the green at the par-4 18th hole for par to make the turn in 2-under 34.
To start the front nine, Woods drove into the right fairway bunker at the par-4 first hole, then hit his approach shot into the left greenside bunker. From there, he hit a nice explosion shot within two feet of the hole to save par.
Tiger made another good save at the 231-yard, par-3 second hole. His tee shot found the left rough, but he chipped to three feet and made the putt.
Woods parred the next three holes, but squandered a great birdie opportunity at the par-4 fourth. He reached the green in two, leaving himself a 26-foot eagle putt, but three-putted, missing a five-foot birdie attempt.
At the par-5 sixth, Tiger drove into the right rough and gouged his second shot back into the fairway. He hit his third shot from 163 yards to within 19 feet of the cup and rolled in the birdie putt.
Woods hit a nice tee shot at the 199-yard, par-3 seventh hole 12 feet behind the hole but couldn’t capitalize, settling for a par. At the 460-yard, par-4 eighth hole, he drove in the fairway and hit his approach shot 30 feet from the cup, narrowly missing his birdie attempt.
At the 474-yard, par-4 ninth hole, Woods hit a nice solid drive and had 169 yards remaining to the green. He hit another good approach shot 14 feet from the pin but two-putted for a par.
Woods hit 14 greens in regulation and used 32 putts.
“Just bad speed,” he said of the two three-putts. “That’s something that I have to concentrate on. I got a little lackadaisical on the par 5, tried to make eagle. I just need to be more committed.”
Tiger said he had no problems with his strained left Achilles tendon and didn’t even think about it while he was playing.
“I’m feeling good,” said Woods. “I’ve been getting treatment. Everything’s good. No swelling. If I can just keep it that way, everything will be great.”
Woods and all PGA Tour players are grateful to play in Arnold Palmer’s tournament because of all he has done in and out of the game of golf.
“Obviously, he has tremendous influence because he raised money to build Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies,” Woods said. “That’s where both of my kids were born. All of us players are very thankful for what he’s done.”
This is Tiger’s final tune-up before the Masters next month. He recently played Augusta National with caddie Joe LaCava on the bag.
“It was typical Augusta non-championship week,” Woods said. “It’s a little bit slower, a little bit wet. We caught a bunch of mud balls. It played really long. Come tournament time, it changes from Wednesday to Thursday.”
Woods begins second-round play Friday at 12:56 p.m. ET on the first tee with Els and Mahan.
