Woods back in top 10, contention at East Lake
Tiger Woods fought his way back into contention Saturday in the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
After shooting a disappointing 3-over-par 73 on Friday to fall back into 12th place, Tiger posted a 3-under 67 Saturday and is tied for seventh at 4-under 206, four strokes behind co-leaders Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose.
“I’ve got a shot at it tomorrow,” Woods said.
There will be plenty on the line. Not only are 30 players competing for an $8 million purse, they are also grinding for the FedExCup points title, with $10 million going to the winner.
As it stands, Snedeker is the projected FedExCup winner, followed by Rory McIlroy, Rose and Tiger. However, if any of the top five in points coming into the tournament — McIlroy, Woods, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson and Snedeker — win the TOUR Championship tomorrow, they are guaranteed the $10 million prize.
“It’s going to be one of the most exciting Sundays of the year,” said McIlroy, who is tied for fourth at 5-under.
Woods will likely need another low round to overtake the leaders, though mathematically a third-place finish in the TOUR Championship could earn him his third FedExCup title, depending on what Snedeker and McIlroy do.
“I’m playing for the ‘W,’ and tomorrow I get a great shot at it,” he said. “All the money and awards and all of that stuff, that comes along with winning championships. If I win the golf tournament, everything’s taken care of.”
Paired with Luke Donald on Saturday, Woods made four birdies and only one bogey. Although his driving was erratic, hitting only six fairways, Tiger found 13 greens in regulation and used 29 putts.
Woods birdied the 440-yard, par-4 fourth hole, hitting a wedge from 104 yards to 10 feet. However, he gave it back with a bogey at the 434-yard, par-4 seventh hole, where he drove into the left rough, gouged his second shot into a left fairway bunker, hit a great sand shot with a punch 9-iron from 56 yards seven feet from the pin, but missed the putt.
“That was tasty right there,” he said of his third shot.
Tiger birdied the 600-yard, par-5 ninth, where he knocked his second shot into the right greenside bunker, blasted to four feet and made the putt to make the turn in 1-under 34.
On the back nine, Woods birdied the 391-yard, par-4 12th hole, flagging his approach shot from 153 yards to 13 feet. He added another at the 525-yard, par-5 15th, reaching the green in two and two-putting from 41 feet.
Tiger made a fabulous save at the 481-yard, par-4 16th. After driving into the right rough, he hit his second shot back into the fairway, knocked his third shot from 145 yards to within 12 feet of the cup and made the par-saving putt.
After Friday’s tough round, Woods said he had no doubt he could play his way back into the tournament.
“I’ve done it before,” Tiger said. “I’ve been out here a long time, and just claw your way back into it, and usually I’ll take a round in the 60s. I figured the guys aren’t going to go out and run off and hide on this golf course. It’s just playing too difficult.”
Woods begins final-round play Sunday at 1:20 p.m. in the fourth-to-last twosome with Robert Garrigus.
