Tiger Woods bounces back with 1-under 71 Saturday at the Memorial - MSN Money

DUBLIN, Ohio – Right off the bat on a still Saturday morning at silent Muirfield Village Golf Club, you could see Tiger Woods was in a much better place than he was the day before.

© Provided by Golfweek

He was loose, he was smiling, and he was feeling mighty fine heading to the first tee just before 8 a.m. local time for the third round of the Memorial hosted by Jack Nicklaus. And then Woods set sail his first drive without a hint of bother.

Eighteen holes later, he signed for a 1-under-71 – five shots to the better than his second-round score. There was no sign of back stiffness that troubled him the day before, no grimaces and no incomplete swings that were unfortunately featured during his second round.

What a difference a good night’s sleep can make.

Memorial: Leaderboard | Tee times | How to watch

“I was moving better today and felt like I did the first day, and consequently I could make the passes at the golf ball like I did the first day,” said Woods, who has shot 71-76-71 to be at 2 over through 54 holes. He was 11 shots behind the leaders when he left the course. “Unfortunately I didn’t make any putts today, so hopefully I can make a few more tomorrow.”

Playing alongside Brooks Koepka for the third consecutive day, Woods made four birdies against three bogeys under a hot sun and on baked grounds that was difficult to get a handle on. Aside from a dreadful sand wedge he hit on the third hole that led to his ball spinning back into a water hazard, and a couple chip shots he would have liked to have back, Woods looked sharp. Especially for not playing in a tournament since mid-February.

“Overall I felt like I played well today, controlled the ball well,” the 15-time major winner and five-time Memorial winner said. “I hit one really bad shot there at 3, but other than that, it was a pretty good, solid day.”

Woods finished his second round with two birdies on the final three holes to make the cut on the number. The finish proved significant, for it gave Woods, ranked No. 14 in the world, two more rounds to compete against the best players in the world and thus get in more reps after playing just four times since late August.

“Getting back into the flow and competing again and playing at this level, I hadn’t done that in a while. Playing at home and playing out here is so very different,” Woods said. “And making sure that I stay sharp and don’t make any silly mistakes and dump the ball in the wrong spots or give myself bad angles, that’s one of the things about playing competitive golf that’s very different from playing at home.

“I was fortunate the cut came back.”

The difficult conditions that greeted players on Saturday – unyielding greens, high-speed fairways, punitive rough and temps in the mid-90s – provided an exacting test that forced Woods to call upon all his talents. He scrambled well and his birdies on 5, 6, 14 and 15 came from 8, 7, 7 and 17 feet.

“It’s tough,” Woods, 44, said. “It’s fast. The golf course is right where they want it. Now that the wind has picked up just a touch, it’s going to dry it out a little bit more. The ball is starting to run out on the greens. Some of the fairways are starting to chase, and you’re starting to get like on 2, if you carry that hill on the tee shot, you’re getting 60, 70 yards of run.

“It’s going to get to where Jack wanted to have it at the beginning of the week. I wish it hadn’t blown as hard as it did the first day. Gusty and swirly is not how I would like to come back and start playing again. But this golf course is right where they want it.”

MORE:

Shot-by-shot recap: Tiger Woods' Saturday 1-under 71 at the Memorial

Another day, another match: USC's Allisen Corpuz cruises to North & South Women's semis

The Memorial: Round 3 tee times and TV times/streaming info

Notes: Ryan Palmer brings 'new' old putter to Memorial; Jon Rahm regroups; Rory McIlroy settles in

Bryson DeChambeau makes a 10 at Muirfield's 15th after getting second opinion on OB debacle

Continue Reading

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Read Again Brow https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMic2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm1zbi5jb20vZW4tdXMvc3BvcnRzL2dvbGYvdGlnZXItd29vZHMtYm91bmNlcy1iYWNrLXdpdGgtMS11bmRlci03MS1zYXR1cmRheS1hdC10aGUtbWVtb3JpYWwvYXItQkIxNlVvd3HSAQA?oc=5

Bagikan Berita Ini