Tiger sits at 1-over after second round at Oak Hill
A sub-par round at Oak Hill Country Club eluded Tiger Woods once again Friday on the second day of the 95th PGA Championship in Rochester, N.Y. The world’s No. 1-ranked player shot an even-par 70 and has now gone six consecutive rounds on the East Course without breaking par.
Even with ideal scoring conditions — the course was soft and vulnerable after heavy morning rain — Tiger couldn’t capitalize, posting four birdies and four bogeys. The reason was simple. He missed too many fairways and used 32 putts, three-putting twice.
As a result, the four-time PGA champion has a 36-hole score of 1-over 141 and is tied for 38th, 10 strokes behind leader Jason Dufner, who broke the Oak Hill course record and tied the tournament mark with a sizzling 63.
“I didn’t hit it anywhere near as good as I did yesterday,” a disappointed Woods said afterward, quickly heading to the practice range to work with swing coach Sean Foley. “Consequently, I didn’t have that many looks. When I did, I missed my share, too.”
Tiger hit only seven fairways and 13 greens in regulation. He left two putts one revolution from the cup and burned the hole with several others.
“Just the way it goes,” Woods said. “Obviously, I need to hit it better than I have and keep the ball below the hole so I can be aggressive with the putts.”
A late starter with Keegan Bradley and Davis Love III, Tiger made a great par save at the 466-yard, par-4 first hole, where he hit a 3-wood into the primary rough on the right and then gouged his second shot from thick, wet grass back into the fairway. He hit his third shot from 130 yards to nine feet below the cup and made the putt.
At the 392-yard, par-4 second, Woods missed the fairway with an iron, again finding the right rough. Playing from an awful lie, he slashed his second shot into the left greenside bunker, blasted his third shot eight feet short of the cup and missed the par putt.
Tiger nearly birdied the 215-yard, par-3 third, hitting a 5-iron 25 feet below the hole. The putt looked true, but slid over the right edge of the cup.
Woods was unable to take advantage of the 580-yard, par-5 fourth. He blocked a driver into the right rough but caught a good lie in an area trampled down by spectators. With 274 yards to the green, Tiger crushed a low 5-wood that just missed carrying the front-right bunker. He then hit a poor bunker shot and two-putted for a par from 20 feet.
Woods hit his first fairway at the 435-yard, par-4 fifth, then hit a beautiful 7-iron from 180 yards three feet right of the hole and recorded his first birdie. He made it two in a row at the 178-yard, par-3 sixth, nestling his tee shot eight feet below the cup.
Finally gaining some positive momentum, Tiger drove into the left rough at the 459-yard, par-4 seventh and had 200 yards to the green. His approach shot came up short-left of the green and settled in deep rough, but Woods hit a well-executed explosion shot four feet from the hole and saved par.
Following a two-putt par at the 426-yard, par-4 eighth, Tiger hit a good drive to the 443-yard, par-4 ninth and had 175 yards left to the pin. He played an indifferent second shot 23 feet underneath the cup and the birdie putt stopped one roll short of the cup, sending Woods to the turn at 1-over 34.
Knowing he had to make a move on the back nine to keep the leaders within sight, it just never happened. Not that Tiger was short of chances.
At the 424-yard, par-4 10th hole, Woods piped a nice drive and hit a pitching wedge from 146 yards to 10 feet behind the hole. But his slick, downhill birdie putt didn’t scare the cup. Tiger’s tee shot at the 235-yard, par-3 11th landed short of the green in dense rough, where he chopped his second shot 10 feet from the hole and missed the par putt.
After a disappointing two-putt par at the 365-yard, par-4 12th, Woods set himself up with another good birdie opportunity at the 585-yard, par-5 13th. Tiger knocked his third shot from 142 yards eight feet from the cup and missed the putt.
Desperately trying to jump-start his round, Woods drove the green with his driver at the 321-yard, par-4 14th, setting up a long uphill eagle putt. He was a little bold, the ball rolling five feet past the cup, and his birdie attempt lipped out.
Still grinding hard, Tiger hit a gorgeous 8-iron at the 171-yard, par-3 15th. The ball plugged seven feet right of the pin, and he poured in the birdie putt. But Woods gave it right back with a bogey at the 433-yard, par-4 16th, when he three-putted from 18 feet.
Steaming from the miss, Tiger flushed a driver at the 510-yard, par-4 17th, catching the left intermediate rough. He then produced his best shot of the day, hooking a 4-iron from 224 yards to 12 feet below the hole. Typical of the afternoon, the birdie didn’t come easily. The ball spun halfway around the cup before disappearing, as Woods exhaled with relief.
Looking to finish strong, Tiger blocked a 3-wood off the tee into the soggy right rough and had no choice but to muscle a wedge down the slender fairway, no easy task. From there, he hit a wedge 25 feet below the cup and two-putted for a bogey.
Woods knows he will have to do something special Saturday, and get a lot of help from the leaders to put himself into contention on Sunday for a possible 15th major title.
Tiger’s largest 36-hole comeback in a major he went on to win was six strokes in the 2005 Masters. Woods caught Chris DiMarco and defeated him in a playoff. Woods’ biggest 36-hole comeback in a non-major came in the 1999 Buick Invitational, where he overcame a nine-stroke deficit to win with closing rounds of 62-65.
“I’ve got to do my job tomorrow and go out there and post something in the mid-to-low 60s, like some of the guys did today,” said Woods, coming off a seven-stroke victory at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last week. “It definitely can be done.”
For the third straight round, Tiger will play with Bradley on Saturday. The duo tees off at 11:05 a.m. ET.
