It took a lot of work to get Tiger Woods to the first tee at The Open. Months of rehab after his car crash to get him back to competitive golf. Hours of effort from him and his team after rounds. Time off after he had to withdraw from the PGA Championship and skip the U.S. Open. But he’s here.
Now, it’s going to take a lot of work for him to stay the weekend.
After a dismal opening-round 78, Woods has to go low in the second round to have any chance of making the cut at St. Andrews.
Here is how his early morning at the Old Course is going.
This is what Woods will be facing on Friday. He’ll need to figure it out and post something in the 60s if he wants to see Saturday and Sunday in Scotland.
Pin positions for Round 2 of #The150thOpen 👇 pic.twitter.com/KcAt1ZxZwJ
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 15, 2022
No. 1: Par 4, 375 yards
The first hole at St. Andrews is much easier when the opening tee shot doesn’t land in a fresh divot. Woods’ tee ball on Thursday found a divot, his second went in the burn and walked off a dreadful double bogey. No divot on Friday and things went much smoother. A safe approach to the green and better speed with the putter led to an uneventful par.
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 2: Par 4, 452 yards
Woods, walking with his hands in his pockets and shoulders tense, appears to be cold on a chilly morning in Scotland. Early in his round, though, his swing seems free. A solid drive and a controlled iron approach gave him a good chance at birdie. But the 20-footer lipped out. Some of those — a lot of those — are going to have to go in if Woods is to make the cut.
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 3: Par 4, 398 yards
Though he had just 101 yards in for his second shot, Woods was not messing around with a front-left, tucked pin at third. He played away from the hole and faced a 25-footer for birdie. The putter, which caused him all kinds of problems on Thursday, is working so far on Friday. He made the putt to get into red numbers for the day..
Tiger has finally got one to drop⛳️#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/4PyYIo7Ovs
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 15, 2022
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 1 under
Total for the tournament: 5 over
No. 4: Par 4, 480 yards
Woods hated his second shot. How do we know? Well, he slammed his club into the ground while the approach was still in the air. It would not be the last time he was upset on the hole. A solid putt from off green left him with a little 3-footer for par. He missed it.
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 5: Par 5, 570 yards
Woods hit a towering 3-wood into the green. The ball settled about 6 feet from the pin. One problem: It was the wrong pin. The fifth is one of the double greens on the Old Course. It is shared with the 13th. So Woods’ ball bounded onto the green and just kept going. When it finally stopped it was 7 feet from the 13th hole, but 117 feet from the fifth. The ridiculously long eagle putt came up 10 feet short. The more manageable birdie just missed on the left side.
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over