News
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Woods: Score Doesn’t Reflect How He Has Been Playing
Farmingdale, N.Y. — For all the bluster about the Black Course being the second-longest layout in U.S. Open history, Tiger Woods is finding that mere inches are posing the biggest obstacle.
On Saturday, Woods either grimaced or buckled his knees in response to no fewer than nine birdie or par-putt attempts that narrowly slid right, left or stopped short of the 4.25-inch white painted hole. Then he signed for a second-round 1-under 69 that he knew could have been sizably lower.
“Unfortunately, my score doesn't reflect how I've been playing,” said Woods, who made the 36-hole cut at 3-over 143 and trailed unlikely, and unheralded, leader Ricky Barnes by 11 strokes. “And it is what it is. But you never know. I've got 36 more holes over the next, probably, three days.”
Due to Thursday’s pesky early rains that washed out most of the day’s play and shoved tee times back by nearly a day, the third round would not begin until early Saturday evening. And, depending on Sunday’s weather forecast, there is speculation that this 109th major may not conclude in regulation until Monday — for the first time since 1983.
“And it's one of those things where if I keep plugging along just like any U.S. Open, just keep plugging along, make a birdie here and there, we'll see where it ends up,” said Woods, who sits on the cusp of making history should he win. In 1975, Lou Graham trailed Tom Watson by 11 strokes at the halfway point and rallied to win for the largest 36-hole comeback in championship history.
Starting on the 10th hole, Woods began with three straight pars before electrifying the anxious gallery by stiffing a wedge shot from 98 yards to within 8 feet and rolling in the birdie putt.
He gave the stroke back on the 15th hole. Woods drove the fairway and waited to hit his approach when the first drops of rain began. He then bounced his approach just off the short side of the elevated green, left his third shot also in the rough and then got up and down for bogey.
The only semblance of a patented Woods charge came with birdies at the 411-yard, par-4 18th and the 430-yard, par-4 first to get back to 2 over.
Woods, seeking his fourth U.S. Open title, admitted this U.S. Open is subtly different than past because the course conditions are allowing for change in approach.
“You could be pretty aggressive — have the ball on the fairway, no water on the ball, be aggressive and fire at the flags,” he said of the soft conditions. “The only thing you have to worry about is spinning the ball back too much. Even with 6‑irons and 5‑irons, balls are ripping back and forth. Different than they have at most U.S. Opens.”
It’s also different in that Woods is not closer to being in contention. And he still refers back to Friday’s 4-over finish in the final four holes as what may ultimately keep him from being just the third back-to-back U.S. Open winner since World War II.
“Today I made a bogey on the last hole,” said Woods. “But, still, yesterday was the day that did it. Especially on my half of the draw, I had to finish at even par, one over par at the worse because I think one under par is the best my side of the draw did. That would have been a really good score.”
For the morning wave, though.
The first round’s afternoon wave didn’t tee off until Friday morning and played most of the first and second round void of any rain. Mike Weir fashioned a 6-under 64 that was five shots better than Drew Weaver and Graeme McDowell from the morning surge.
“But instead I ended up at four over par, and that was about the mean for the day on my side, which is not what it's going to take to win a U.S. Open. You have to do better than that,” said Woods.
Especially with 36 holes remaining.
Stuart Hall is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.usopen.com.
Access Player Links
Player Bios
| LATEST NEWS | |
|---|---|
|
|
