Tiger finishes strong in Round 3 at Hero World Challenge
Tiger Woods took another positive step in his return to competitive golf on Saturday by shooting a 3-under 69 in the third round of the $3.5 million Hero World Challenge at sunny Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Florida.
Woods, who last competed at the PGA Championship in August, carded six birdies and three bogeys despite battling flu-like symptoms. He was up most of the night vomiting, got sick on the course and said his fever finally broke on the front nine.
“It wasn’t easy, and I fought hard,” Woods said, his voice barely audible. “That’s about all I had.”
Tiger, the tournament host, knows how important the event is to his foundation, which benefits from the proceeds and said he never considered withdrawing.
“I like to compete,” he said. “If I can go, I can go. I’ll give it everything I have.”
After starting with a 77 on Thursday, Woods has worked his way back to even-par 216 in the 18-player event but remains in last place. Red-hot Jordan Spieth, a runaway winner last week in the Australian Open, surged to a seven-stroke lead and established a 54-hole tournament record at 20-under 196.
Paired with Billy Horschel, Tiger got off to a strong start for the second straight day by making birdie at the par-4 first hole. He made a nice up-and-down for par at the par-3 third, then reeled off three more pars.
At the par-4 sixth, Woods pushed his approach shot well right of the green, then chunked his third – a recurring problem this week. He chipped his third shot three feet from the cup and salvaged bogey.
Tiger came right back with a birdie at the par-5 seventh. Following a nice drive, he hit his second shot from 232 yards into the right greenside bunker, blasted to eight feet and made the putt.
Woods just missed a 20-foot birdie attempt at the par-4 eighth. At the par-4 ninth, he knocked his 7-iron approach shot just over the back of the green and was faced with an awkward stance above a bunker. Tiger handled it well, chipped to close range and saved par to make the turn in 1-under 35.
On the back nine, Woods parred the 10th and 11th holes before breaking through with a birdie at the 438-yard, par-4 12th, where he buried a 12-foot putt. But he lost momentum at the 532-yard par-5 13th.
After hitting a big drive, he had 226 yards left to the green and hit a 4-iron that caught the right side of the putting surface, then trickled down into a tightly mown chipping area, the same spot he was on Thursday. Once again, he stubbed his chip, the ball rolling back to his feet. Tiger hit his fourth shot well short of the pin and did well to two-putt for a bogey.
Following a tough two-putt par at No. 14, Woods bogeyed the 202-yard, par-3 15th, where he missed the green to the left and elected to putt down a slippery slope. The ball carried about nine feet past the hole, and he missed the putt coming back.
But Tiger regrouped and finished strong. Using the front tees at the par-4 16th, which measured 290 yards, he flushed a 3-wood nearly pin-high, then ran his pitch 10 feet beyond the hole. Woods rolled it in for a birdie.
At the 565-yard, par-5 17th, Tiger became the first player in the field to reach the green in two thanks to a big drive and smooth 3-wood from 265 yards. Faced with an uphill eagle putt from about 45 feet, he powered his first putt seven feet past the cup but made the comebacker for birdie.
Looking to close with three consecutive birdies, Woods walloped a 300-yard drive at the 464-yard, par-4 18th, then flagged his second shot from 173 yards about five feet from the pin and converted again.
“I wasn’t doing too well at the beginning,” Tiger said of his health. “Sleep has been rough.”
