Tiger cards 2-over through 10 holes at U.S. Open
Tiger Woods got off to a tough start Thursday in the first round of the 113th U.S. Open Championship at soggy Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.
Tiger, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott had their tee time delayed 3 1/2 hours due to rain. After their round began, there was another 45-minute weather delay.
As a result, the group only completed 10 holes when play was called due to darkness at 8:16 p.m. ET. It might have been a good thing for Tiger. He was 2-over par for the round and will face a five-foot putt for par on the 11th green when play resumes Friday morning at 7:15 a.m.
“I’ve got a lot of holes to play tomorrow,” Woods said afterward. “And hopefully I can play a little better than I did today.”
A three-time winner of the U.S. Open, Woods started poorly by blocking a fairway wood off the first tee into the right rough at the par-4 first hole. Tiger managed to slash his second shot onto the back of the green, leaving a long, awkward putt, and appeared to hurt his left hand. He three-putted for a bogey.
Woods rebounded with a birdie at the par-5 second hole, then dropped another shot at the par-3 third. Tiger made his first par of the day at the par-5 fourth hole — the final par-5 on the course. Again, he seemed to favor his left wrist hitting out of the rough on the par-4 fifth hole and sustained another bogey.
Following the second weather delay, Woods resumed play at the par-4 sixth and drilled a 70-foot putt for his second birdie of the round. He added pars at the par-4 seventh and eighth holes, missing a 10-foot birdie putt at the latter.
He three-putted the par-3 ninth hole for a bogey to make the turn in 2-over 38.
Tiger hit a nice approach shot five feet from the cup at the par-4 10th hole but couldn’t convert. At the par-4 11th, he used an iron off the tee but still wound up in the left rough. With his ball submerged in the deep, wet grass, Woods tried to muscle his second shot to the green with a short iron but was lucky to come up short of a fronting stream, grimacing after the swing and shaking his left hand.
Tiger took a full swing on his third shot and did well to slash the ball five feet from the cup when the horn sounded, suspending play.
Each player had the option of finishing the hole or stopping, and Woods elected to stop. Given the pain he was feeling in his left hand and the prospect of putting on a smooth, freshly mowed green Friday morning, it was probably a wise decision.
Once he completes his first round, Tiger will begin second-round play. He is scheduled to begin his second round at 7:44 a.m. ET on the 11th tee. Obviously, that time will be pushed forward until after he finishes his first round. There is a 30-percent chance of rain on Friday.
