back to list ]Tiger Adds Drama, Rallies to Make DBC Cut - September 5th
Posted by Jim Connelly (09/05/2009 08:21PM )NORTON, Mass. – If someone tells you that Tiger Woods added drama to a golf tournament you can generally assume that it’s for all the right reasons like a remarkable shot, a monster putt or a memorable comeback.
Saturday, in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, Tiger’s drama left golf fans on the edge of their seats, but for all the wrong reasons. As the world’s number one made the turn for the back nine, he sat at 1-under-par, squarely on the cut line. Any falter on the back nine and Boston golf fans would be without their idol for the final two rounds.
The thought that a mistake could happen seemed scarily realistic. Woods held serve by making birdie at the par-5 2nd to get to 2-under but gave that shot away at the par-3 3rd. The drivable par-4 4th and the somewhat easy par-5 7th resulted in pars, almost the equivalent of a bogey against the field.
Woods blew his drive right on the 9th but made a dramatic up-and-down from 92 yards to save par. His tee shot on the par-3 11th landed in the face of the bunker fronting the green but Woods, after blasting out, drilled a 19-footer for another par save.
And that’s when things turned around.
An approach to seven feet on the 12th resulted in birdie, as did a shot from 176 yards to nine feet on the par-4 14th.
It was like there was a collective sigh of relief from the TPC Boston galleries.
When all was said and done, Tiger was nowhere near the cut line, finishing with birdies on 16 and 18 to climb to 5-under-par, four shots clear. But for a couple of hours, Woods’ future in the tournament was more than in peril.
“I knew I had some easy holes out there coming in and had to take advantage,” said Woods. “I saw a lot of media guys out there on the course so I knew I better turn it around and make them go away.”
The key to the turnaround was Woods’ putting. Despite lipping out five putts on the day, his confidence in the flat blade began to turn around late in the round.
“I started seeing the line a little bit better,” said Woods of his putting. “My speed was good all day. I just started reading the putts better.”
Now the question turns to whether the most well-known name in golf has yet another patented rally in him. His scorching finish on Saturday (31 on the back nine) puts him in great position headed into Sunday’s third round. Conditions are forecasted to change dramatically as winds are set to pick up to 20 miles per hour.
That being the case, a round of 64 or 65 by Woods could be enough for victory. To get to that point, though, the key won’t necessarily be controlling the ball flight in the windy conditions. It will once again be the performance on the green.
“I I putt well, I win golf tournaments,” said Woods. “You’re not going to out-ball strike these guys. You have to make the putts.”
