Tiger grinds for 2-under 69 in Round 3 at The Barclays
Tiger Woods fought through nagging back pain to shoot a 2-under-par 69 on Saturday in the third round of The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., the first of four FedExCup Playoffs events.
Woods has a 54-hole score of 8-under 205 and is tied for fourth, four strokes behind co-leaders Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland.
“That was a grind,” Woods said.
Prior to starting the third round, Tiger completed the last five holes of his second round, which was suspended due to darkness Friday night. Pain free, he parred Nos. 14-17, then birdied the par-4 18th hole to post a 69. Woods trailed Kuchar by five strokes after two rounds.
“I hung in there,” Woods said. “I lost it in the middle but started to get it back at the end.”
Tiger has received treatment for a stiff back most of the week, but pronounced himself “all good” after the second round. Despite flagging his approach shot to the par-4 first hole and starting the third round with a short birdie putt, Woods’ back acted up again and he was in obvious discomfort most of the way.
“It starts off great every day, and then it progressively deteriorates as the day goes on,” Tiger said. “Hopefully tomorrow it will be one of those days again and I can fight through it and see if I can win the golf tournament.”
Paired with Justin Rose and Jonas Blixt, Tiger carded back-to-back bogeys at the par-4 third and par-3 fourth holes. At No. 3, he three-putted from 36 feet; at No. 4, he missed the green left and was unable to convert a 16-foot putt.
After pars at the fifth and sixth holes, Woods also bogeyed the par-4 seventh, three-putting again from 52 feet. He rebounded with a five-foot birdie putt at the par-5 eighth, then parred the par-4 ninth to make the turn in 1-over 37.
Tiger didn’t make another bogey. He played the last 11 holes 4-under to put himself in good position as he points toward a third FedExCup title.
Following pars at Nos. 10-12, Woods knocked in a two-foot birdie putt at the par-5 13th hole.
Tiger made a nice save at the 135-yard, par-3 14th, where he air-mailed the green with a pitching wedge and wound up in heavy rough behind the putting surface. Woods gouged his second shot to 7 1/2 feet from the cup and made the par putt.
After a two-putt par from 17 feet at the par-4 15th hole, Woods drove the green at the 289-yard, par-4 16th, becoming only the fourth player on the day to reach it. His 3-wood settled 63 feet past the hole, and he hit a beautiful lag putt a foot from the cup, tapping in for a birdie.
Tiger gave himself another good birdie look at the par-4 17th, missing from 12 feet. But he finished strong, knocking his 8-iron approach shot from 186 yards to 10 feet at the par-4 18th. He delighted the large crowd by rolling in the birdie putt, touring the back nine in 3-under 32.
“Unfortunately I had two three-putts, but other than that, I felt like I really putted well and made my share of putts,” said Woods, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation.
Tiger begins final-round play Sunday in the second-to-last twosome at 1:40 p.m. ET with Kevin Chappell.
