How Tiger hit it in all places, nonetheless acquired himself within the U.S. Open combine
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tiger Woods entered this U.S. Open as a favourite. Effectively, he is Tiger Woods, so he is often among the many favorites. However this week, it appeared, he had a definite benefit, with brief Pebble Seashore not requiring many drivers and placing an emphasis on iron play. Woods is the most effective iron participant on the planet.
He arrived right here ranked No. 1 in greens in regulation. The query, although, was whether or not he might make some putts.
So, in fact, in Thursday’s first spherical, all the pieces went haywire. He missed irons brief and lengthy, left and proper. And he made each putt at which he regarded.
One way or the other, he walked away with a 1-under 70, which places him in a tie for 28th and 5 photographs behind first-round chief Justin Rose.
“That was a grind,” Woods stated.
This is the way it occurred. Go forward, attempt to make sense of it. We dare you.
Establishing the day
As Tiger Woods will get set to start out his U.S. Open, it is price noting his historical past of easing into main championships. With so many gamers beneath par — together with huge names like Fowler and McIlroy — he won’t have that luxurious this yr at Pebble Seashore. Wants a purple quantity out of the gate if he will be an element.
No. 1: Par four, 380 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: Even
Tiger Woods with a stress-free opening gap at this U.S. Open. Straightforward swing with iron into the green, managed strategy to 15 toes under the outlet, leaving the uphill putt he stated he desires this week. All he wanted, although, to make birdie was one other half of a revolution. His putt held on the lip, leaving a tap-in par.
No. 2: Par four, 516 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: Even
Tiger with a giant save at No. 2. After a wild drive that caught the tall grass down the left facet, forcing a pitch out, Woods drains a 15-footer to avoid wasting par. Throughout observe, he spent plenty of time this week on his placing. He hit a very good one that did not go in at No. 1 and one which did on No. 2.
No. three: Par four, 404 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: Even
So Tiger overly aggressive on his birdie putt at No. three — he someway discovered a method to blast it eight toes previous the outlet. However he made the comebacker. Excellent news? He is made consecutive clutch par putts. Dangerous information? He is needed to work laborious for par on two of his first three holes.
No. four: Par four, 331 Yards
Rating: Birdie
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Tiger stuffs his strategy on No. four. Knocks his strategy to four toes and calmly rolls within the downhill putt. You need to get some birdies over the primary seven holes at Pebble Seashore if you’ll maintain tempo and Tiger simply acquired his first.
No. 5: Par three, 195 Yards
Rating: Double bogey
Complete for the day: 1 over
Tiger simply made an absolute mess on the fifth gap. Hits his tee shot on the par three off a cart path and turned it right into a double bogey. So he rapidly erased his birdie. Whereas he was doing that, Brooks Koepka was up forward making his fourth birdie in six holes.
No. 6: Par 5, 523 Yards
Rating: Birdie
Complete for the day: Even
Tiger lessens the dangerous style left by the double at No. 5 with a wanted birdie on the par 5 sixth gap. The sector is destroying that par 5, so Tiger, particularly after his journey the outlet earlier than, couldn’t waste that scoring probability.
No. 7: Par three, 109 Yards
Rating: Birdie
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Late within the day the greens at Pebble Seashore get bumpy. Regardless of, Tiger’s scorching putter stays scorching. He bounces in a 22-footer on the the little par three seventh gap. So after the double at No. 5, that is back-to-back birdies.
No. eight: Par four, 428 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
The straightforward stretch of Pebble is behind Tiger Woods. On No. eight, the stretch that may actually problem this discipline, he makes a routine par. (In reality, he may need gotten away with a unfastened iron within the fairway). Nonetheless, par is par.
No. 9: Par four: 526 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
It was removed from a boring begin. Tiger with three birdies and a double over his first 9 holes. He turns in 1-under 34. Now, can he keep in purple numbers on the harder again 9?
No. 10: Par four, 295 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
One other poor shot with an iron by Woods at No. 10. An odd day, contemplating the energy of his iron recreation. The poor strategy compelled him to scramble to avoid wasting par. He did it, however the iron recreation is placing some added stress on this spherical.
No. 11: Par four, 390 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
One other terrible iron shot from Tiger. He missed the inexperienced — badly — on No. 11 from simply 114 yards. After all, he nearly holed out the following bunker shot, hitting the flag. One other par saved, however one other gap during which he needed to do extra work than he ought to have.
No. 12: Par three, 202 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Tiger performs it protected at No. 12, which is the precise proper technique at No. 12. The lengthy par three has yielded simply10 birdies — and Rory Sabbatini’s ace — all day. It is a get-your-par-and-get-out-of-there form of gap.
No. 13: Par four, 445 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Scrambling Tiger makes one other look. That he’s 1 beneath by way of 13 holes after the way in which he is hit the ball Thursday is gorgeous. Hit a poor drive on the par four — and grumbled some not-so-nice phrases caught by the Fox broadcast — however navigated his method to one other par.
No. 14: Par 5, 580 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Scrambling Tiger makes one other look. That he’s 1 beneath by way of 13 holes after the way in which he is hit the ball Thursday is gorgeous. Hit a poor drive on the par four — and grumbled some not-so-nice phrases caught by the Fox broadcast — however navigated his method to one other par.
No. 15: Par four, 397 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Good, easy, straightforward par for Tiger at No. 15. It nearly feels unusual saying it, since nothing has come straightforward in Thursday’s first spherical. It has been a wild experience, and it is not over but.
No. 16: Par four, 403 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Is Tiger making an attempt to ease to the end line? After a protected par at No. 15, he makes one other on the 16th. He’d love nothing than one other routine par at No. 17.
No. 17: Par three, 208 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1 beneath
Tiger overcomes one other poor iron shot, dumping it into the entrance bunker on the par three 17th. Once more, although, he wiggles from, getting up and right down to salvage one other par. This spherical might have gone sideways so many occasions.
No. 18: Par 5, 542 Yards
Rating: Par
Complete for the day: 1-under 70
Nothing about Tiger Woods’ spherical was easy, so why would the final gap be any completely different? drive, then a wayward strategy, leaves a clumsy, feet-outside-the-bunker, ball-in-the-sand third shot. His blast leaves a two-putt par and he walks off with one of many strangest rounds of 1-under 70 you will ever see.