It took a lot of work to get Tiger Woods to the opening tee at The Open. Months of rehab after his car accident to return to competitive golf. Hours of effort from him and his team after rounds. A break after he had to withdraw from the PGA Championship and miss the US Open. But he is here.
Now he will need a lot of work to stay through the weekend.
After a dismal opening round 78, Woods must go low in the second round to have any chance of making it to St. Andrews.
Here’s how his early morning goes on the Old Course.
Here’s what Woods will face on Friday. He’ll have 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 tee shot doesn’t land in a new swing. Woods’ tee shot on Thursday found a bump, his second went into the burner and he came out of a terrible double bogey. There was nothing else on Friday and things went much more smoothly. A safe approach to the green and better speed with the putter resulted in a smooth draw.
Result: par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 2: Par 4, 452 yards
Woods, who walks with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders tense, looks cold on a chilly morning in Scotland. Early in his round, though, his swing looks loose. A solid drive and controlled iron approach gave him a good chance for birdie. But the 20-footer missed. Some of them — a lot of them — will have to come in if Woods is to make the cut.
Result: par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 3: Par 4, 398 yards
Despite only having 101 yards for his second shot, Woods didn’t mess around with a front left, tucked pin at the third. He played away from the hole and faced 25 feet for birdie. The patter that gave him all kinds of trouble on Thursday is working so far on Friday. He made the shot to get into the red for the day.
Tiger finally has one to drop⛳️#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/4PyYIo7Ovs
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 15, 2022
Result: Birdie
Total for the day: 1 sub
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 wouldn’t be the last time he was upset on the hole. A solid putt from off the green left him just short of 3 feet for par. Missed it.
Result: Gods
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 5: Par 5, 570 yards
Woods hit a towering three 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. Shared with the 13th. So Woods’ ball bounced off the green and just kept going. When he finally stopped, he was 7 feet from the 13th hole but 117 feet from the fifth. The absurdly long eagle putt was 10 feet shorter. The more manageable birdie just missed left.
Only at St Andrews… #The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/F5Jl1X4hrS
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 15, 2022
Result: par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 6: Par 4, 414 yards
Woods was moving well on his surgically repaired right leg during his time in Scotland. But a grimace and the most pronounced limp of the week came after his wayward tee shot landed in one of the fairway’s many bunkers. He had no chance to get to the green and just went out. By the time it was over, he had put another scare on the scorecard.
Result: Gods
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 7: Par 4, 371 yards
Woods shed his jacket as the spitting rain eased after the dreary early morning. However, his game did not lighten up. He had just 97 yards left on his second shot, but hit the wedge on the wrong side of the slope to leave a longer putt than he wanted.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 8: Par 3, 187 yards
For perhaps the first time in the entire round, Woods played a routine, boring hole. Find the middle of the green. He narrowly missed a 30-footer for birdie. Ho-hum pair.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 9: Par 4, 352 yards
There was a lot of standing around on the tee as the game backed up. Woods’ drive settled just short and to the right of the green. Then the problem that plagued him through the first 27 holes of this major championship resurfaced. Woods has had trouble judging speed when putting or hitting shots from around the green. His effort in the ninth came up woefully short. Instead of a makeable putt, he had another 25-footer that missed.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 10: Par 4, 386 yards
Woods began what will likely be his last nine holes of competitive golf for some time with a level routine. Fairway shot. Center on green. Two-way without dramas.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 11: Par 3, 174 yards
Woods was cautious with his approach shots for most of his second round. He seemed content to aim for the center of the green. Well, he went flag hunting on the 11th. But the first shot missed and landed in the big bunker. However, Woods blasted it to 12 feet and made the putt for an incredible par.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 13: Par 4, 465 yards
Woods just can’t figure out green speeds. His second shot into the green took a huge bounce, leaving him 40 feet for birdie. Once again, he left the shot path, very short. He made the 6-foot footer for the money, but again, it was a lot more work than it needed to be.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 14: Par 5, 614 yards
Ordinarily, Woods probably would have felt good about driving 370 yards, even if he ended up in the hay next to the fairway. That is until you compare it to what he did the day before when he hit one 412 yards. On Friday, his second shot found another of St. Andrews’ famous bunkers. He turned that 412-yard drive Thursday into a birdie. He couldn’t do the same with the 370-yard blast Friday.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 15: Par 4, 455 yards
Another hole, another long birdie putt. It came after Woods missed a short wedge approach well past the hole. He nearly holed the 77-footer, but he ended up a putt or two short.
Result: par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 16: Par 4, 418 yards
The good news? Woods’ errant iron on the 16th green missed the green but didn’t go into the bunker. The bad news? His chip shot did it. A burst and another miss led to an ugly double.
Result: Double bogey
Total for the day: 3 over
Total for the tournament: 9 over
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