Tiger Woods in danger of missing cut at Quicken Loans National
A costly double bogey has Tiger Woods on the wrong side of the cut line with just the back nine to play. He has work to do if he’s going to make the weekend in his return from injury.
Tiger Woods got off to a much better start on Friday than he did on Thursday, but a few missed opportunities and one bad hole have him in danger of missing the cut. Woods made the turn at 38, 2-over on his round. He’s currently 5-over for the tournament, two strokes off the projected cut line.
After opening his first round with back-to-back bogeys, Woods avoided similar early trouble in the second round. He missed a birdie try at No. 1, but finished it off for par. He got up-and-down on No. 2 following a poor tee shot to remain at 3-over. Following a poor drive at No. 3, Woods hit an excellent second shot to set up another par save. His second shot from the rough, ran up to the green and he two-putted from about 40 feet.
He appeared in great position to pick up a stroke on No. 4 after drilling a perfect tee shot and a beautiful approach to about six feet. Woods didn’t putt very well in the first round and that trend continued on Friday. He missed the birdie and tapped in for his fourth straight par.
Woods was unable to keep that streak going at No. 5. His drive found the first cut of rough and he wasn’t able to make up for it with his second shot. He landed in a greenside bunker and would up with a plugged lie. With the terrible lie, Woods was unable to get his third shot out of the bunker. He failed to get up-and-down for bogey and instead tapped in for a double bogey to drop to 5-over. Once again, he was in good position to pick up a shot after he reached the par-5 sixth hole in two. The putter didn’t cooperate and he three-putted for a par.
Tiger's Return
Following another two-putt par at No. 7, Woods missed a huge opportunity at No. 8. He hit a perfect tee shot to the middle of the fairway, but his approach went long and ran into the fringe. A poor chip left him an eight-foot putt for par which he left on the lip, for a tap-in bogey. Another poor drive at No. 9 left Woods scrambling once again, but he was up to the challenge. He pitched into the fairway then hit a very good approach at the par-5. For the first time all day, he sunk a putt, to make birdie.
Woods hasn’t been sharp, especially around the greens. By going out in 38, Woods is 5-over for the tournament. He’ll likely need to make up at least two strokes on the back nine, which could be difficult as the back nine has been the more difficult side this week. The rust from the three-month layoff has been obvious with Woods having issues in all facets of his game. Woods is currently 13 strokes off the lead.
