Woods Admits Game Is Getting ‘Clearer’ Despite A Mixed Moving Day At HWC

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Tiger Woods struggled off the tee and also with the shortest club in his bag, producing a very mixed ‘moving day’ 71 at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Woods, and competing in a full Saturday third round for a first since February’s Genesis Invitational grabbing five birdies but also posting four bogeys for a 54-hole one-under tally in very hot conditions on the host Albany course.

The five-time Hero World Challenge champion, while showing no signs of discomfort in walking, struggled off the tee hitting just 10 fairways in regulation and with Woods’ putter also letting him down in taking 34 putts.

“Generally, normally it’s short game, the touch and feels”, he said.

“But when you’re chipping off bermuda like this, and this is probably one of the hardest golf courses we face all year round to try and hit chips, ball sits down, you’ve get to hit the ball up. And early in the week we were, basically like a rouund table, asking each other what are you going to do, how are you going to play this, and you never find that at any other tournament. This place is a little bit different.

“As far as my feels, generally as the week progresses my feel for pin high gets better and better each and every day. I think that’s an indication this week, I know the score doesn’t indicate what I think I could have shot today, but it was definitely clearer than it was yesterday”.

Woods was sweating profusely in the hot conditions, spotted often wiping the sweat from his face and hands.

Though the good news continues to be Woods’ overall physical well-being having returned to formal competition for the first occasion since limping off after making the halfway cut on Saturday morning in April’s Masters.

“I’m very excited at how I have felt physically. Knocking off some rust. I mean, we can always knock off rust at home, but it’s so different come game time,” Woods proudly admitted.

“As I said to you guys earlier in the week, game time speed is different than at home speed. To be able to knock off some of the rust as I have this week and showed myself that I can recover each and every day, that was kind of an unknown as far as I’ve walked this far, I’ve done all my training, but add in playing and concentration and adrenaline and all those other factors that speed up everything, I’m very excited how the week’s turned out”.

Woods ended his round lying 15th in the elite $US 4.5m, 20-player field, and with the leaders early into the inwards half of their rounds.

WOODS – ROUND 3 – HOLE-BY-HOLE

Woods headed into golf’s traditional ‘Moving Day’ in 15th place at one-over however  right from the outset his round was heading in wrong direction Woods missing the green in regulation at the opening two holes, and posting bogeys. In contrast, he had birdied the two holes a day earlier.

Two-over after 2.

Woods finally corrected the ship at the par-5 third brilliantly sending a 50-foot third shot to just 18-inches for the easiest of birdies

One-over after 3.

He produced a great par save at the next, the par-4 fourth hole where, after missing the green right, he again played a great chip shot even closer, to just 15 inches while he then two-putted the par-3 fifth hole for a par

Woods then pared the par-3 fifth hole for a third day running before, and for the second round in a row he birdied the par-5 sixth

The triple winning Hero World Challenge winner then also birdied the par-5 sixth hole for a second day, two-putting from near 40-feet.

Level par after 6.

Woods posted a par at seven and then at the 189-yard par-3 eighth hole, he played a marvellous 190-yard shot to four feet for a birdie ‘2’ to get into red numbers at one-under for his round

One-under after 8.

Woods then, the delight of the small crowd following made it three birdies in four holes, but in finding a greenside bunker pin high at the par-5 ninth hole in two ahead of showing he’d not lost his bunker touch by landing his 20-foot third shot to just over three-feet for a birdie four.

Two-under after 9.

Fairways – 6 of 9; Putts – 17

Now for the inward half and with Woods four-over playing the nine on day one, and two-over on day two while also it was little wonder he remarked after Thursday’s and Friday’s round of feeling tired given he’s contesting only a first full competiton with a scorecard in his back pocket since February.

Woods headed off down the 10th again two-putting for a par but gave a shot back at the par-5 11th after first finding the left rough and then three-putting from 30-feet.

One-under after 11.

Woods then par the next two holes, two-putting the par-2 12th and taking a par, also after two putts, at the par-4 13th.  He was in a left greenside bunker after a 304-yard tee shot at the 299-yard par-4 14th but superbly splashed out to five-foot for a birdie ‘3’.

Now if there is one hole on the course that’s hurt TW this week, it’s been the par-5 15th. Double on day one and bogey day two so what was in store on day three.

Woods crushed a 364-yard drive down down the fairway, the second longest drive in 51 rounds, and despite finding a green side bunker, he played a 43-yard, tiger-like wedge to just 23 inches for the easiest birdie of the three days.

Two-under after 15.

Woods pars the par-4 16th and with his first putt from 45-feet stopping just a foot shy of the cup.  He heads the par-3 17th clearing the water and also two-putts, this time from 23-feet.

The grandstands are again full at the back of 18 as Woods’ drive is right of the fairway from where he’s long with his second but makes a mess of his third that goes eight feet past the cup while missing the par putt coming back for a bogey ‘5’.

Fairways 4 of 9; Putts 17

Fairways 10 of 18; 34 Putts

One-under 71; Even par three-round tally; T16th (At close of his round)

 

 

 

 



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