AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods came through the third green at Augusta National on Saturday, missed a birdie putt he thought he should have made, and strode up the hill toward the long par-3 fourth hole. I started climbing. Masters.
Little did he know that things were about to get even worse.
Any hope that Woods would remain in contention disappeared along with his confident swing and mastery of the greens. The five-time champion spent the rest of the day suffering through his worst round in a major championship. 10 overs 82 Not only will this make Woods look defeated, but he will be forced to play. 100th round at the Masters Sunday was pretty much out of the spotlight.
Tiger Woods walks through the second hole during the third round of the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“I just hit the ball in all the places I knew not to hit it,” Woods said.
He started the day seven strokes behind the leader at one over and felt he could pass Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau at the top. But that was before eight bogeys and two double bogeys, offset by just two birdies, left the 48-year-old Woods at the bottom of the leaderboard instead of at the top.
In the 1980s, Woods only hit in the fifth round as a pro and in the third round in a major. He shot an 80 in the first round of the 2005 US Open at Chambers Bay and an 81 in the third round of the 2002 British Open at Muirfield.
His worst round as a pro was when he shot an 85 in the third round of the 2015 Memorial.
“I haven’t really competed or played much,” said Woods, who arrived this week after playing just 24 holes of competitive golf this year. “When I had a chance to turn it over, and I made the (birdie) putt on No. 5, I immediately three-putted on No. 6, missed a chip on No. 7 and went the wrong way. , even when I had a chance to flip it, I didn’t. ”
It’s difficult to play from the top of a tree.
After Woods’ 7th tee shot bounced into the fairway, he hit his approach into a bunker and made double bogey. In the eighth, he drove the ball into the trees and punched it out for another double. And to cap off his worst first nine at the Masters, Woods missed the fairway again with his tee shot, found the bunker again and left with another bogey.
Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) )
Woods played the four holes and turned at six over.
Things did not improve for the next nine years.
On the 11th hole, his tee shot was wayward and resulted in a bogey. He missed 6 feet on the 12th and made bogey. He hit a tree on the 14th and made bogey. My chip stuck on the 15th and I made bogey. On the 16th, he three-putted for bogey. Then on No. 17, another tree problem caused a bogey.
At least playing partner Tyrell Hatton can sympathize. He made a four-putt on the final hole.
“Obviously, he didn’t hit as well as he wanted,” Hatton said. “But so were his putts, and the greens are very fast. You guys don’t realize this, but even the 2 1/2-foot putts are brutal. They have a lot going for them. One from the starting line. If you start outside a centimeter, you’ll fail. Then, depending on your pace, you never know how far you can finish.”
It’s been a rough week for Woods, who had to play 23 holes on Friday when his opening round ended early due to darkness. But he not only persevered through the marathon day, scoring a 72 in the second round in inclement weather for an average score of 75.09 and qualifying for a record 24th consecutive Masters. did.
Woods drove the ball well, hitting 22 of 28 fairways through two rounds, offsetting some poor approach shots (he hit just 17 of 36 greens in regulation) with a great short game. He started the third round this week with a top-10 putt.
But what used to be his strength went downhill Saturday. Woods hit just 4 of 13 fairways, had two three-putts, and would struggle to get his body back into shape until Sunday’s early tee time.
“The team will be ready,” he said. “It’s going to be a long night and a long warm-up session, but we’re ready.”
