Slow start hinders Tiger’s day at THE PLAYERS
Unable to mount a charge, Tiger Woods posted a 3-over 75 on Saturday in the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
He has a 54-hole score of 3-over 219.
After making the 36-hole cut right on the number, Tiger was an early starter Saturday with Graham DeLaet. Playing in front of an enormous gallery, Woods managed to par the par-4 first hole for the first time all week, two-putting from 30 feet.
But Tiger made a mess of the par-5 second, where he hooked his drive left into a tree and the ball bounced into the right rough. Woods hit his second shot in the left rough, knocked his third in a bunker, blasted over the green into a collection area, then chipped to 12 feet and two-putted for a double-bogey.
After a solid two-putt par from 15 feet at the par-3 third, Woods pulled his drive at the par-4 fourth and faced a blind second shot over water. His approach narrowly cleared the water, leaving a 10-foot birdie putt, but he couldn’t convert.
Tiger two-putted for a par at the par-4 fifth, then bogeyed the par-4 sixth. Woods drove into the left rough, came up short with his second shot, chipped about six feet beyond the hole and two-putted.
At the par-4 seventh, Tiger boomed a big drive and nestled his second shot within eight feet of the cup and rolled in the birdie putt. Following a two-putt par at the par-3 eighth, Woods found more trouble at the par-5 ninth. After a good drive, his second shot finished short-right of the green, where he flubbed two flop shots, chipped eight feet from the hole and two-putted for a double-bogey to make the turn in 4-over 40.
Clearly frustrated, Tiger parred the 10th hole, then birdied the par-5 11th. At the latter, he hit a nice chip shot two feet from the cup.
Woods steadied with two-putt pars at Nos. 12, 13 and 14. He gave himself a great birdie opportunity at the par-4 15th, but missed an eight-foot putt.
Following a well-placed 3-wood off the tee at the par-5 16th, Tiger had 221 yards to the green. But Woods hit a poor second shot left into the gallery, dropping his iron, then caught a good break when the ball bounced back toward the green in an area trampled by spectators. Still left with a touchy downhill chip, Woods left it nine feet short of the hole and settled for a disappointing two-putt par.
Tiger made a routine par at the par-3 17th, then pushed a 3-wood off the tee at the par-4 18th into the right rough. Blocked by an oak tree, Woods hit a low cut shot that found the left greenside bunker, splashed his third shot eight feet short of the pin and rolled in the par-saving putt to tour the back nine in 1-under 35.
After making 11 birdies in the first two rounds, Tiger managed only two on Saturday. Much of that can be attributed to his putting, with Woods using 32 during his round. Despite hitting 13 of 18 greens in regulation, he converted only 2 of 8 birdie attempts inside 15 feet.
Tiger will tee off Sunday with Dustin Johnson at 8:55 a.m. ET.
