Poor finish stalls Tiger run at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Tiger Woods was well and truly in the U.S. Open grind on Friday until a sloppy finish left the 81-time PGA TOUR winner facing a tough weekend assignment at Pebble Beach. Despite a handful of birdie chances across his second round, Woods only connected on one. It came early on the par-4 11th, his second hole of the morning. What followed was 14 straight pars before back-to-back bogeys left Woods to sign for a scratchy 1-over 72. He now sits even par for the championship that he won in dominant fashion at Pebble Beach in 2000. It ensures he will be at least seven shots adrift heading into the final two rounds. Despite having 11 one-putt greens on Thursday, Woods was unable to replicate the scenario again. On Friday, he needed 32 putts in his round, seven more than the day before. The 43-year-old was adamant his putter had not in fact deserted him, rather his approach game needed to be smarter.  “I’m a little hot right now,â€� Woods said afterwards. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Tiger ‘trending in right direction’ | Chase for 82 continues  | Tiger’s Jedi mind tricks in 2000 “Not a very good finish. I had a couple opportunities there. I missed a couple. But overall I kept leaving myself above the hole. And unlike yesterday, when I missed it I missed the correct spots below the hole, today I never had that many looks from below the hole. And the one I did have, I made at 11. It’s just a matter of leaving the ball in the right spots.â€� Woods did not count himself out of making a weekend run towards an 82nd TOUR win and 16th major championship as he expects the course to firm up in the afternoons. His position will ensure an early start on Saturday, allowing him to attack while the marine layer has kept things a little softer. As he has said all week, Woods will target the first seven holes to make his birdies before using his U.S. Open experience to guide him home. “Right now I’m still in the ball game. There’s so many guys with a chance to win. We’ve got a long way to go and we’ll see how it shapes up for tomorrow,â€� Woods added. “The golf course can be a little bit faster, a little bit more springy than it was today, and scores will continue to back up a little bit. They got it right where they want it. It’s just a matter of how much will it dry out from morning to afternoon. The short areas, the run-ups, man, they’re firm. So if they get the greens anywhere like that, it will be a hell of a test.â€� ROUND 2: TIGER HOLE-BY-HOLE HOLE 9 (526 yards, par 4): Tiger’s final tee shot of the day with driver is not a good one. It’s sailing left of the fairway, and Tiger hangs his head as the ball bounds into the bunker. Using 8-iron off the sand 236 yards from the pin, Tiger lays up but his ball finds the rough on the left side. With 54 yards to the pin, he hits a terrific shot that touches down on the green just past the bunker and rolls to within 7 feet. But he can’t convert the par save. A solid, if yet unspectacular, day through 16 holes ends on a couple of sour notes, leaving Woods with plenty of work to do this weekend. Fairway: Missed (11 of 14) | Green: Missed (13 of 18) | Putts: 2 (32) | Score: Bogey (1 over 72, Even for the championship through 36 holes) HOLE 8 (432 yards, par 4): Tiger’s iron off the tee finds the heart of the fairway, near Spieth’s tee ball at about the 205-yard mark No need to get it anywhere close to the cliff that’s 50 yards further up the fairway. Left with a 212-yard approach shot, Tiger is caught between the 6- and 7-irons. He opts for the 7 and comes up short, his ball finding the thick rough near the greenside bunker. He hacks out onto the green, but he’s 16 feet away from the pin. He misses the hole right, ending his bid for his first bogey-free round at the U.S. Open since his final round here at Pebble Beach in 2000 when he won by 15 strokes. It’s his first bogey in his last 30 holes. Fairway: Hit (11 of 13) | Green: Missed (13 of 17) | Putts: 2 (30) | Score: Bogey (Even for round, 1 under for the championship) HOLE 7 (116 yards, par 3): With the pin in the back left, Tiger’s tee shot hits the middle of the green and spins back just outside of 28 feet away. Someone in the crowd boos; hey, is this the 16th at TPC Scottsdale? Tiger’s birdie attempt is on a great line but runs out of steam. A tap-in par. That’s 14 straight pars in a round that remains bogey-free. Fairway: N/A (10 of 12) | Green: Hit (13 of 16) | Putts: 2 (28) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 6 (529 yards, par 5): Tiger opts for 3-wood on a tee shot that he has said is among his least favorite in major championship golf. He carves out a 260-yard drive that safely finds the fairway. With 5-wood on his second shot, he comes up just short of the green. His chip rolls to inside 10 feet, but the putter lets him down this time, as he can’t convert the birdie attempt despite some help from caddie Joe LaCava. A frustrated Woods walks off the green. Fairway: Hit (10 of 12) | Green: Hit (12 of 15) | Putts: 2 (26) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 5 (186 yards, par 3): Now to the nemesis hole from the first round, where Tiger suffered a double bogey when his wayward tee shot hit the cart path; it’s his only hole over par thus far this week. No trouble this time for Woods off the tee, as his 7-iron finds the back-left portion of the green, 30 feet away from the pin. His birdie attempt loses steam at the end and fades a little left, but it’s another stress-far par. That’s a dozen consecutive pars, one more than his 11 straight to end the first round. Fairway: N/A (9 of 11) | Green: Hit (11 of 14) | Putts: 2 (24) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 4 (334 yards, par 4): Tiger with iron off the tee on this short par 4, and he safely finds the fairway – unlike Rose, whose tee shot bounds over the edge of the fairway and nestles next to an ice plant past the hazard line. From 112 yards, Woods’ approach with a gap wedge bounces past the pin and spins back, leaving him inside 8 feet for birdie. Spieth has a longer birdie attempt along a similar line and makes it, but Tiger’s attempt clips the right edge. Yes, par again. Fairway: Hit (9 of 11) | Green: Hit (10 of 13) | Putts: 2 (22) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 3 (394 yards, par 4): Unlike Rose and Spieth, who took aggressive lines to successfully cut the corner on the dogleg-left hole, Tiger’s 3-wood is aimed right of the bunkers. He avoids them, but the ball flies into the thick rough near a couple of marshals. It’s just his second missed fairway of the round. He’ll have 159 yards to flag, compared to 85 for Rose and 106 for Spieth. Tiger’s approach with a 9-iron comes up just short of the green. He opts for putter from off the green, and his 30-foot birdie attempt comes up a bit short. Another par. Fairway: Missed (8 of 10) | Green: Missed (9 of 12) | Putts: 1 (20) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 2 (516 yards, par 4): Opting for 3-wood off the tee, Tiger cuts a shot down the left side that veers back toward the middle of the fairway and uses the slope to run out to 314 yards. That leaves him 207 yards to the pin. An excellent 6-iron lands on the front of the green and rolls toward the pin, finishing 14 feet away. Another firm putt doesn’t pick up the break, the ball skimming the left edge of the cup and leaving another short par putt that he converts. Fairway: Hit (8 of 9) | Green: Hit (9 of 11) | Putts: 2 (19) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for championship) HOLE 1 (380 yards, par 4): Time to make a move, now that Tiger has reached the scoring portion of his round with the next seven holes, including three of the easier par 4s on the course. He starts off with a solid iron shot off the tee, his low trajectory ball finding the center of the fairway. With a 9-iron from 154 yards, his approach ends up pin-high, inside 21 feet right of the flagstick. A firmly struck birdie attempt, but the ball broke too late toward the hole, and he makes the 3-foot comebacker for par. Still, he picks up a stroke on the leader Rose, who suffers bogey after his errant tee shot found the thick stuff. Fairway: Hit (7 of 8) | Green: Hit (8 of 10) | Putts: 2 (17) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 18 (543 yards, par 5): Woods takes 5-wood off the tee and slips a little on the downswing. Ball pops up a little and he’s not impressed. But it finds the middle of the fairway. Will be a three-shot hole for him given he sits 288 yards back. Clearly, he has a plan to lay up at a number he can be aggressive with thanks to the front right pin location. Leaves 125-yards and takes his wedge a little left of the flag to leave a 20-foot look at birdie. This time, he manages to keep the ball high enough, but it burns the left edge. Tap in par and it’s a 1-under 35 on this side of the course. Eight pars and one birdie could have been better, but ultimately he said he wanted to grind the back side out before making moves in the first seven holes on the front side. Rose makes birdie to extend the lead out to 8-under leaving Woods six back at the turn.  Fairway: Hit (6 of 7) | Green: Hit (7 of 9) | Putts: 2 (15) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 17 (208 yards, par 3): Spieth is first to play and goes left on the difficult par-3 heading back towards the Pacific Ocean. Rose feels he’s got his shot pure and it drops short into the sand. “Not in a million years would I think that was short,â€� he says. With that information, Woods’ caddie Joe LaCava asks if Woods wants one more club. “No, I like this,â€� he says. The 2000 U.S. Open champ then hits a sensational draw to 15 feet. Unfortunately, his birdie try grazes the low side edge of the hole and rolls out some 5 feet past. Woods steadies though and secures another par. Fairway: N/A (5 of 6) | Green: Hit (6 of 8) | Putts: 2 (13) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 16 (407 yards, par 4): Another safe iron off the tee from Woods who spends some time before the shot trying to get a better understanding of the intermittent changing winds. From 191-yards, Woods pulls his 7-iron left and it bounces off the putting surface and into the rough leaving a short-sided chip. But he makes it look easy and nestles it up to a tap in for par.  Fairway: Hit (5 of 6) | Green: Missed (5 of 7) | Putts: 1 (11) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 15 (397 yards, par 4): Playing safe off the tee with iron and it’s another fairway checked off. From 144-yards with a 9-iron, Woods tries to shape a big draw, but it hangs out to the right. Finds the putting surface, but it is some 32 feet away. The birdie try just slides under the hole and he taps in for par. Meanwhile, Rose makes a birdie and takes the lead to 7-under leaving Woods five back. Fairway: Hit (4 of 5) | Green: Hit (5 of 6) | Putts: 2 (10) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 14 (580 yards, par 5): The first par-5 of the round for Woods represents an opportunity to get some more momentum. A solid tee shot finds the fairway, but as the misty rain continues there is very little roll and Woods has some 314-yards uphill left. As such he pulls iron and hits a solid layup down the right side of the fairway to leave 124-yards. Spieth from similar range makes the big error of not getting over the false front on the front right portion of the green and says it’s a “full shot penaltyâ€�. Amazingly, Woods does the same, spinning the ball back down off the green into a tight lie that brings a tricky chip over the right edge of a bunker with very little green to work with before the flag. Plays it beautifully to 4 feet to set up a chance to save par. Yesterday, his par putt on this green produced a fist pump… this time, it’s just a polite wave as it sneaks in the right side of the cup.  Fairway: Hit (3 of 4) | Green: Missed (4 of 5) | Putts: 1 (8) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 13 (445 yards, par 4): Crisp strike off the tee and the ball gets out there some 281 yards into the middle of the fairway. From 173-yards, Woods once again finds the green and keeps the ball under the hole. It lands softly and trickles back a little on a soft ridge some 22 feet, 7 inches from the hole. Rose has a putt on the same line from further back, but he powers it through the break and as such doesn’t add much information for Woods to use. It’s a right to left swinger and Woods is unable to provide enough pace to hold the high line. It dives under the hole and leaves a little 3-foot tester. But from there he secures par. Spieth by the way makes a third birdie in four holes to join Woods at 2-under and Rose cleans up par to remain the tournament leader at 6-under.  Fairway: Hit (2 of 3) | Green: Hit (4 of 4) | Putts: 2 (7) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 12 (202 yards, par 3): Woods takes his 6-iron as some rain falls softly again. Safe shot to the front right of the green. It’s the best of the group. His birdie putt will come from 26 feet, 11 inches. After watching some nice recovery shots from playing partners Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth, Woods gives his lengthy chance a healthy stroke. It tracks towards the hole the entire way, but pulls up just a few inches short. He taps in for a safe par.  Fairway: N/A (1 of 2) | Green: Hit (3 of 3) | Putts: 2 (5) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 11 (390 yards, par 4): After a tee ball finds the intermediate cut on the left side of the fairway, Woods gets aggressive with his approach shot going over the pin and sucking the ball back under the hole. It’s another great look for birdie this time from 10 feet, 10 inches and this time he pours it in with authority. He’s in the red for the round with a birdie.  Fairway: Missed (1 of 2) | Green: Hit (2 of 2) | Putts: 1 (3) | Score: Birdie (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 10 (495 yards, par 4): On a fresh morning at Pebble where there has been some rain to soften the course, Woods comes to his first hole of the day off a lengthy shuttle ride trying to shake out some of the cold. The 81-time PGA TOUR winner is in dark grey pants, navy sweater and blue cap. Playing with overnight leader Justin Rose, he’s acutely aware of the number to catch. Woods smokes driver down the fairway some 297 yards. His approach from 204 yards is a great one to 8 feet, 5 inches. But his putt is a little weak and trickles away from the cup on the low side. Taps in for a par.  Fairway: Hit (1 of 1) | Green: Hit (1 of 1) | Putts: 2 (2) | Score: Par (Even for round, 1 under for championship) Rd. 2 preview notes STARTING ON 10. The 493-yard par-4 10th ranked as the toughest hole on Thursday, playing to a stroke average of 4.449. With the back nine at Pebble Beach considered the tougher of the two nines, Tiger hopes to hang on for the first part of his round as he tees off on the 10th. “Right away we’ve got a tough par 4 right from the get-go,â€� Woods said. “And we have the harder side to start off on, and hopefully I can finish up on the front side and have the full seven holes where I can get it going.â€� On Thursday when he teed off on No. 1, Woods made three birdies in the first seven holes (and also suffered a double bogey at the par-3 fifth) before finishing with 11 consecutive pars. IRON PLAY. Woods ranks first on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation, and also in proximity from 200 yards and out, but he was not happy with his irons in the opening round. “I didn’t hit my irons as crisp as I’d like,â€� Woods said. One of the keys to success at Pebble Beach, he says, is making sure his misses are in the correct spots – specifically below the pin. That’s what he’ll try to do on Friday in order to avoid having as many lengthy par putts as he faced (and converted) on Thursday. “If I happened to not feel comfortable with a number, dump the ball 30, 40 feet, move on about my business,â€� Woods said. SCORING BY ROUND. It shouldn’t be a complete surprise that Woods started off slowly on Thursday. He ranks just 68th on Round 1 scoring average on the PGA TOUR this season. The good news? He progressively gets better throughout the week. His Round 2 scoring average ranks 52nd on TOUR, his Round 3 scoring average ranks 20th, and his final round scoring average ranks 14th.

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