Tiger fires 4-under 67 in Round 1 at The Barclays
It was a long but productive start for Tiger Woods on Thursday in the opening round of The Barclays at storm-hampered Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J.
Playing in the first event of the PGA TOUR’s four-tournament FedExCup Playoffs, Tiger posted a 4-under-par 67, his first-ever bogey-free beginning in a FedExCup tournament.
Patience was essential. Play was delayed six hours due to thunder and lightning in the area, and twice early starters were called off the course, resulting in a nearly 11-hour round for Woods.
“It was a long day,” said Tiger, who trails clubhouse leader Kevin Stadler by three strokes. “Tomorrow will be a short one and Saturday will be pretty much a marathon.”
Late starters will finish first-round play Friday morning, then begin their second rounds. Woods is scheduled to tee off at 1:06 p.m. ET, but he likely won’t get started until late in the afternoon and won’t finish his second round. Tiger will have to return early Saturday to complete play, then wait for the cut to be established before embarking on his third round.
A back-nine starter with Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker, Tiger started with four straight pars, missing a great birdie opportunity at the 563-yard, par-5 13th. He hit his third shot four feet from the cup and the putt lipped out.
But Woods followed with three consecutive birdies. At the 150-yard, par-3 14th, he flagged his tee shot two feet from the pin. Tiger also birdied the 481-yard, par-4 15th, the second-toughest hole on the course, knocking his approach from 194 yards to six feet and converted the putt.
Tiger completed the hat trick at the driveable 325-yard, par-4 16th, where he positioned his drive short-left of the putting surface, hit a nice pitch to the back-right pin placement 5 1/2 feet away then rolled in the putt.
After parring No. 17, Woods made a good scrambling par at the 490-yard, par-4 18th. He pulled his drive left on the cart path, then hit his second shot from 208 yards left of the green and made a nice up-and-down to make the turn in 3-under 32.
Tiger, the current FedExCup points leader and a two-time winner of the FedExCup, began his second nine with three straight pars. At the 182-yard, par-3 fourth, he nestled his tee shot just inside 10 feet and sunk his birdie putt.
Woods closed out the side with five pars in a row. He made a wonderful save at the 474-yard, par-4 ninth, where he split the fairway off the tee, then pulled a 4-iron from 208 yards well left of the green into deep rough. From there, he hit a well-judged sand wedge from a juicy lie to 6 1/2 feet beyond the cup and curled in the par putt.
“I played pretty solid today and gave myself some looks. And the looks I did [get], I ended up making,” Tiger said. “If I can play the par-5s a little better, I would have been higher on the board.”
Tiger parred all three par-5s. For the day, he hit 13 of 18 greens and 10 of 14 fairways in regulation and used 27 putts.
Woods said the course changed significantly from Wednesday because of the rain.
“It was way, way different,” Tiger said. “The greens were definitely receptive. You could be aggressive and basically just fire at it.”
Woods said his back and neck tightened up during the weather delays, but doesn’t expect it to hamper him the rest of the week.
“I’ll get a little bit of treatment tonight and I’ll be good,” Tiger said.
