Tiger Stumbles Again, Completely Drops Out Of Bridgestone Contention
Saturday morning, some golf commentators pointed out that Tiger Woods is one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour when it comes to making a move during the third rounds of tournaments.
Ummm … about that. Turns out regression to the mean is like the laws of supply and demand, or gravity. Immutable, and prone to asserting itself at exactly the wrong time.
Woods shot a 3-over 73 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, to drop from a tie for 10th place all the way down to the fringes of the top 30, according to AFP reporting.
And the recent hot streak that netted him a pair of top-10 finishes, including fourth at the Quicken Loans National and sixth at the British Open, as he shot under par for 10 straight rounds? That one’s toast as well.
Woods hit just seven of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens in regulation, rescuing just one birdie and ending up with four bogeys.
On the bright side, Woods is still the proud owner of one heck of a comeback, as entering 2018 he wasn’t even in the top 500 in the world golf rankings, while now he stands respectably in the Top 50, no longer reliant on sponsor and champion exemptions to keep his Tour card.
Woods put it bluntly when asked to explain his round by reporters.
“I just played like crap,” he said. “I didn’t warm up very well. I didn’t hit the ball crisp or clean.”
Woods’ playing partner, Marc Leishman, whose own 3-under 67 has him tied for fifth entering the final round, described what he saw from the best seat in the house for Woods’ meltdown.
“He wasn’t hitting it as far as he normally does,” Leishman said. “His good stuff, it’s still good. He’s right there. He might have had an off day. We all do. I wouldn’t put it down to anything more than that.”
Woods did ultimately open up and provide some analysis of his own work for reporters to discuss as the focus shifted to the chase by the leaders on the tournament’s final day.
“I hit some good shots today, but also I didn’t feel like I was in control of the golf ball today,” Woods said. “And then I had some putts where, you know, I had some good looks at it to turn it around, build some momentum, I didn’t make anything.
“I just feel like I really couldn’t turn it around today, just felt off. I had a little bit of a pull, a little bit of a block, a little here, a little there. Just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be, especially with everyone making a bunch of birdies.
“I needed to go get it today and I didn’t do it,” he concluded.
If it’s any comfort to Woods, his 73 wasn’t the worst round by a guy in the top 10 entering Saturday; Tommy Fleetwood started the day in a three-way tie for the lead and shot a 4-over 74 to drop into eighth place.
Justin Thomas leads the tournament by three strokes entering Sunday’s play, as he stands 14 under par.
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