Tiger Continues At Even Par After Round 2 of The Northern Trust

PARAMUS, N.J. – For the first time since 2006, Tiger Woods started a round by hitting 14 consecutive greens in regulation. Unfortunately, his putter didn’t cooperate.

Playing in the second round of The Northern Trust at Ridgewood Country Club on Friday, Woods found 16 of 18 greens, but finished with 35 putts, shooting an even-par 71. The last time he hit that many greens and failed to break par on the PGA Tour was in the third round of the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

On Friday, Woods three-putted twice, the last from 30 feet at the par-4 18th hole, and it almost proved costly. He wound up making the cut on the number and is tied for 67th at even-par 142, 10-strokes behind co-leaders Brooks Koepka and Jamie Lovemark at 132.

“The name of the game is you’ve got to make putts and you’ve got to roll it,” said Woods, who tallied 29 putts on Thursday. “No matter how good your drive is, you’ve still got to roll them and still got to make putts, and I didn’t putt very well today. I had a hard time seeing my lines, and consequently I didn’t make anything.”

The Northern Trust is the first of four FedEx Cup playoff events. The only two-time champion of the playoffs, Woods last competed in 2013.

Not surprisingly, he went straight to the putting green following his round.

Using lift, clean and place due to wet conditions from heavy rain, Woods parred the first six holes. A late starter with Tommy Fleetwood and Marc Leishman, Woods broke through at the par-4 seventh, knocking his approach from 204 yards within seven feet of the pin and made the birdie putt.

He parred the eighth hole, missing from 10 feet, then two-putted for a par at the ninth and turned in 1-under, using 18 putts.

On the back nine, Woods gave himself another great opportunity at the par-4 10th but couldn’t convert from 13 feet. After two-putting the next two holes for par, he crushed a 325-yard drive at the par-5 13th, hit a nice lay-up just inside 90 yards, stuffed his third to six feet and buried the birdie putt.

Woods hit another nice approach at the par-4 14th but missed a speedy, downhill birdie try from 10 feet. He sustained his first bogey at the next, coming up just short at the 152-yard par-3 with a 9-iron. Woods elected to chip and wound-up missing a five-foot putt.

He made a good save at the par-4 17th, where he drove into the right rough, came up short of the green, drawing a terrible lie, then wedged his third to five feet and made the putt, the ball doing a victory lap around the cup.

For the second straight day, Woods hit nine of 14 fairways.

On Saturday, he tees off at 7:50 a.m. ET with Ian Poulter.