Tiger Woods Putter Struggles Hinder P.G.A. Championship Round

Since hosting and playing at the Genesis Invitational in February, where he finished 68th, Woods did not play again until the Memorial Tournament in July, where another Friday rally helped him make the cut on the number before finishing 46th. The FedEx Cup playoffs fill out August, leading to the United States Open at Winged Foot in September and the rescheduled Masters just before Thanksgiving.

Since an emotional 2019 Masters win, Woods missed cuts at two of his next three majors, the 2019 P.G.A. Championship and the 2019 Open Championship, suggesting perhaps that the win taxed him both physically and mentally.

“I celebrated winning the Masters for quite some time,” he said this week, with a smile.

He arrived ahead of the field on Sunday for a practice round, comfortable in a region a half-hour drive north of Stanford University, Woods’s alma mater. After growing up playing munis in Southern California, Woods looked almost at home when TV cameras caught him changing his shoes in the parking lot before his Friday round.

Like a muni duffer, Woods experienced the travails of golf over the next five hours. He’d been asked earlier in the week if, given his back and his layoff, can he win? “Of course,” Woods said.

That view looked gloomier after an exhausting Friday for Woods and his fellow competitors in the group. McIlroy shot a one-under-par 69, tied for 31st, and Thomas went into the clubhouse with a 70 for the day, one-over-par for the tournament and just inside the cut. It was clear that Harding Park had worked them to the bone.

“Once Tiger and I got our tee shots off 18,” McIlroy said, “I just gave him a look like, ‘phew, glad that’s almost done.’”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/08/sports/golf/tiger-woods-pga-championship-friday.html