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PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Tiger Woods’ major campaign this season began with an incredible high, one of the biggest moments in his legendary career. But since then, it’s been mostly frustration and free weekends, with Woods facing the cruel realities of an older golfer struggling for consistency. Woods shot a 1-under 70 in Friday’s second round of The Open Championship, but his 6-over total for the first two days at Royal Portrush left him well outside the cutline. It’s his second missed cut in the three majors since winning the Masters in April, and the seventh missed cut in his last 13 major starts dating back to the 2014 PGA Championship. Prior to that, he had missed the cut just three times in his first 61 major starts as a pro. That was then. This is now. The new normal for Woods? He still has the game to compete; after all, he’s won twice in the last 12 months, including the 2018 TOUR Championship. But at age 43 and after four back surgeries, he no longer can contend on a weekly basis. “One of the hardest things to accept as an older athlete is that you’re not going to be as consistent as you were at 23,â€� Woods said. “Things are different. “I’m going to have my hot weeks. I’m going to be there in contention with a chance to win, and I will win tournaments. But there are times when I’m just not going to be there. And that wasn’t the case 20-some-old years ago. I had a different body and I was able to be a little bit more consistent.â€� Woods had warned prior to the start of his play that his game wasn’t where it needed to be, and his opening 78 was the proof. He played better Friday, but just like the day before, he failed to take advantage of Portrush’s three par 5s. Through the two rounds, he was 2 over on those holes. “If I handled those par 5s well, I would be right there,â€� Woods said. But he’s not, and as a result, he’ll go home for more rest. He had a month off coming into The Open, having taken a two-week vacation to Thailand, and now he’ll take the final two weeks off in the PGA TOUR’s Regular season in order to concentrate on next month’s FedExCup Playoffs. The two-time FedExCup champ entered this week ranked 23rd in points. “Last year I almost stole the whole FedExCup at the very end,â€� said Woods, whose TOUR Championship win moved him to second behind eventual FedExCup champ Justin Rose. “If it wasn’t for Rosie’s little break there at the bunker, it could have been interesting.â€� Woods said his current situation shouldn’t be compared to earlier this decade when his playing schedule consisted of multiple starts and stops as he dealt with the physical problems that threatened to end his career. “Those were some of the lowest times of my life,â€� Woods said. “This is not. This is just me not playing well and not scoring well. “It’s more frustrating than anything else because this is a major championship and I love playing in these events. I love the atmosphere. I love just the stress of playing in a major. And unfortunately, I’ve only had a chance to win one of them – and was able to do it. But the other three, I didn’t do very well.â€� RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Tough day for Tiger in Round 1 ROUND 2: TIGER HOLE-BY-HOLE No. 18, par 4 (474 yards): On his final tee shot of the day, Tiger isn’t particularly happy as he watches his ball head toward the thick rough. But he manages to avoid the heavy stuff, giving himself a shot at the green. With 196 yards to the pin, his approach comes up 20 feet short of the green. He decides to use putter and his ball comes up well short of the pin. His lengthy par attempt is nicely measured but finishes just right of the pin, and he taps in for bogey before doffing his cap to the appreciative crowd. Score: Bogey (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall). No. 17, par 4 (408 yards): The rain is coming in harder now as Tiger tees off with driver at 17. He misses the fairway left, his ball in some of the thick grass above his feet. Tiger’s approach flies into the thick greenside fescue near the grandstands, and a frustrated Tiger – knowing his Open Championship will soon end – lashes out with an angry swipe of his club and a few choice words. He does well to chip out onto the green, giving himself a reasonable chance to save par. But his attempt from 15 feet fades at the end, and he taps in for his second bogey of the day. Score: Bogey (hole); -2 (round); +5 (overall). No. 16, par 3 (236 yards): Using 4-iron off the tee, Tiger successfully stays away from serious trouble at Calamity Corner, as his shot ends up pin-high left, about 30 feet away. But he can’t convert the birdie chance. Unless the cut line moves – or unless he produces something special in the last two holes – Tiger won’t make the weekend. Score: Par (hole); -3 (round); +4 (overall). No. 15, par 4 (426 yards): A big drive with his 3-wood puts him in the fairway, just 125 yards to the pin. But with his 56-degree wedge downwind, he appears to mis-hit it, the ball coming up short of the green. He opts for putter, and rolls it nicely toward the pin, leaving him 4 feet for his par. Score: Par (hole); -3 (round); +4 (overall). No. 14, par 4 (473 yards): Excellent drive off the tee, smack in the middle of the fairway. His approach from 187 yards ends up pin-high, 25 feet right of the pin. His birdie putt has a right-to-left break, but the ball stays right. His third straight par. Score: Par (hole); -3 (round); +4 (overall). No. 13, par 3 (194 yards): A solid iron off the tee leaves him 25 feet from the pin. But his birdie attempt stays right of the hole, and he taps in for par. With a projected cut at 1 over, he’s starting to run out of holes. Score: Par (hole); -3 (round); +4 (overall). No. 12, par 5 (532 yards): With the par 5, Tiger has a great chance to keep the momentum going. Unfortunately, his tee shot finds the long grass – he mutters “no, no, no, no, no, no, noâ€� as he watches it drift into trouble — and he stays in the rough on his next shot. On his third, he chips out on the green, leaving himself 20 feet for a birdie. But he can’t hole the putt, as it never threatened the hole. Through two rounds, he’s played the three par 5s at Royal Portrush in 2 over. Score: Par (hole); -3 (round); +4 (overall). No. 11, par 4 (474 yards): His driver doesn’t quite find the fairway, as it misses left. But it’s in the short rough with a good lie – and Tiger follows with a nice approach shot that gives him another great birdie opportunity, inside 10 feet above the hole. He converts the putt. Looks like he’s making his move to reach the weekend. Score: Birdie (hole); -3 (round); +4 (overall) No. 10, par 4 (447 yards): His driver splits the fairway, leaving him 164 yards to the pin. It’s another nice approach shot, leaving him inside 15 feet, but with a big left-to-right break. Unlike the previous birdie attempt, this one is read perfectly. It’s a great way to start the back nine. Score: Birdie (hole); -2 (round); +5 (overall) No. 9, par 4 (432 yards): With iron off the tee, he finds the fairway, then follows with a terrific 8-iron from 170 yards that finishes 8 feet from the pin. But he fails to convert the opportunity and settles for par. He might’ve misread the putt. Score: Par (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall) No. 8, par 4 (434 yards): Driver off the tee, as Tiger’s ball lands just left of the bunker and feeds back into the fairway. But his 7-iron is off, and Tiger looks away with the ball still in the air. It hits the far left edge of the fringe and dribbles down into the fescue. He follows with a nicely executed chip that gives him a short par putt that he converts. Score: Par (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall) No. 7, par 5 (592 yards): Tiger follows that long birdie putt with his best swing off the tee thus far, a tee shot that travels 335 yards as he outdrives both of his playing partners. But in perfect position in the middle of the fairway, 260 yards from the pin, Tiger’s 5-wood is poorly struck, as he pulls it into the gallery left of the hole. He has a decent lie, just in front of some tall fescue, but can’t produce solid contact and the ball travels just a few yards away, failing to reach the green and finishing at the bottom of a slope. He uses putter for his fourth shot but his ball comes up well short of the pin. His 10-foot par putt skips the left edge. It’s a bogey on the hole playing as the easiest in the second round. Score: Bogey (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall) No. 6, par 3 (194 yards): Tiger’s tee shot finds the green, but he’s not nearly as close as his playing partners Patrick Reed and Matthew Wallace, as they each have birdie attempts inside 15 feet. No worries – Tiger rolls in the 30-footer for his second long birdie make of the round. Score: Birdie (hole); -2 (round); +5 (overall) No. 5, par 4 (374 yards): Tiger goes with driver on this drivable par 4. It’s a solid drive, but drifts a little right and finishes just short and right of the hole. It’s a tricky tee shot to the pin on the back half of the green, the Portrush beach just behind it. His wedge didn’t sound right, and the ball drifts left of the pin about 18 feet away. His line on the birdie putt is correct, but the speed is not, needing a couple of additional rotations. He taps in for par. Score: Par (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall) No. 4, par 4 (482 yards): With a helping wind off the tee, Tiger again opts for 3-wood … and hits another 298-yard drive perfectly placed in the fairway. His approach from 176 yards is well-played, bouncing pin-high and finishing above the hole. His 18-foot birdie attempt has plenty of speed as it runs by the left side of the pin. An aggressive putt. He makes the 3-foot comebacker for par. Score: Par (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall) No. 3, par 3 (175 yards): A nice tee shot from Tiger, as he finds the green short and left of the pin. From outside 35 feet, he two-putts for par. Score: Par (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall) No. 2, par 5 (574 yards): Good opportunity to start with back-to-back birdies, as this hole was the easiest in the opening round. Tiger again keeps driver in his bag, going with a 3-wood that stays in the fairway down the left side, a 298-yard drive. With 250 yards to the pin, he goes with a fairway wood, his ball finishing left of the green, settling below a ridge. He opts for putter, but it’s a poor shot, as his ball barely creeps up the slope and is fortunate not roll back. That leaves him with a 15-foot birdie putt that he runs 5 feet past the hole. He rolls in the par save but it was an opportunity lost after the nice drive. Score: Par (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall) No. 1, par 4 (421 yards): Unlike the first round when he used iron off the first tee, Tiger goes with 3-wood this time to start his round. But the result is the same – missing the fairway left, his ball ending up in the rough after a 260-yard drive. He’s only a few steps from the out-of-bounds stakes. Fortunately, his lie is a decent one. From 159 yards to the pin, Tiger’s approach is nicely struck, and his ball hits right of the pin and finishes above the hole. From about 30 feet, he reads the break perfectly, and rolls in the birdie putt, getting a big cheer from the gallery. Score: Birdie (hole); -1 (round); +6 (overall)
Patrick Reed’s 8-under 64 at Torrey Pines’ North Course was tied for the best round of the day and it puts him on top after 18 holes of action in San Diego.
The PGA TOUR took a week off before its season finale, but the Monday Finish isn’t taking a break. Instead of looking back at last week, we will look ahead to the TOUR Championship and the race for the FedExCup. Here are some numbers you need to know before the action gets underway Thursday at East Lake. 1. THE YOUNG AND VICTORIOUS FedExCup leader Bryson DeChambeau celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday. That could be a good omen. The average age of the past four FedExCup champions? Twenty-five years old. That’s a drastic difference from the first seven FedExCups, when the average champion was 35.1 years old. DeChambeau leads the FedExCup after winning the first two events of the Playoffs. He and Rory McIlroy are the only players to win multiple Playoffs events before the age of 25. Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas are the only other players to win a Playoffs event before the age of 25. DeChambeau’s wins were the ninth and 10th victories this season by a player 25 or younger. That’s tied for the second-most in TOUR history (since the PGA TOUR started keeping age records in 1970). Most wins by 25 and under 2016-17: 18 2017-18: 10 2000: 10 In 2000, Tiger Woods accounted for nine of the 10 wins by a player aged 25 or under. 2. DRIVE FOR DOUGH Here’s a quick look at how the TOUR Championship field ranks in the four Strokes Gained statistics. Though the saying “Drive for show and putt for dough� has been around for decades, the modern thinking on TOUR is that ball-striking is the true key to consistent success. It’s obviously important to putt well, and each player gets it in the hole in a different fashion, but the game’s top ranks are dominated by its best ball-strikers. Average ranking of TOUR Championship qualifiers Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee: 54.2 Strokes Gained: Approach: 42.2 Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green: 58.7 Strokes Gained: Putting: 69.4 TOUR Championship qualifiers in top 20 Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee: 13 Strokes Gained: Approach: 11 Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green: 9 Strokes Gained: Putting: 5 Nearly half of the TOUR Championship field is in the top 20 of Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. Eight of the top nine players in that statistic – Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Gary Woodland, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari, Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy – qualified for East Lake. 3. DJ’s FEDEX CUP QUEST Dustin Johnson is fourth in this year’s FedExCup standings. He has already finished in the top five of the FedExCup four times, tied with Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk for most top-five finishes in FedExCup history. Woods (2007, ’09) and Furyk (2010) each have a FedExCup victory included among their handful of high finishes. Johnson is seeking his first. This is the 10th consecutive season that Johnson has qualified for East Lake, the longest streak on TOUR. He finished a career-best second in the 2016 FedExCup. He shared the 54-hole lead at that year’s TOUR Championship but shot 73 in the final round. Rory McIlroy beat Ryan Moore in a playoff to win the TOUR Championship and FedExCup (Johnson would have claimed the Cup if Moore had won the playoff). Johnson finished fourth in last year’s FedExCup. 4. WISE FOR HIS AGE Aaron Wise is the only rookie to qualify for East Lake, a feat that should make him a lock to win the Rookie of the Year award. Just two years ago, Wise was winning the NCAA Championship as a sophomore at Oregon. Wise, 22, is in a select group to make the TOUR Championship at such an early age. Only Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia and Si Woo Kim have made the TOUR Championship at an earlier age. Wise arrives at East Lake ranked 21st in the FedExCup standings. He turned pro immediately after winning the national championship, then graduated from the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada that same year. He needed just one season on the Web.com Tour to graduate to the PGA TOUR. Wise has won in each of his first three pro seasons, claiming a title on each of the three tours he has played in his brief career. 5. XANDER RETURNS Xander Schauffele waited until the 11th hour to earn the opportunity to defend his TOUR Championship title. Schauffle jumped from 41st to 18th in the FedExCup with his third-place finish at the BMW Championship. The TOUR Championship may be the toughest title to defend in golf. There are no invitations for past champions. Every player, even the previous year’s champion, must finish in the top 30 of the FedExCup to make it to East Lake. Schauffele is just the fourth player in the FedExCup era to earn an opportunity to defend his TOUR Championship title. Phil Mickelson (won in 2009), Brandt Snedeker (2012) and Jordan Spieth (2015) are the others. Schauffele hasn’t won this season after his two-win rookie campaign, but he has had several impressive finishes in some of golf’s biggest events. In addition to his third-place finish at Aronimink, he was runner-up at both THE PLAYERS Championship and Open Championship and sixth at the U.S. Open. The pressure of increased expectations has had an impact on Schauffele. He finished third in last season’s FedExCup, the highest finish ever by a rookie. He had been a career-long underdog, an overlooked member of the sterling Class of 2011 who starred at a smaller school (San Diego State). Now he’s one of the game’s top prospects. “I felt like I was supposed to come out here (this year) and win and make it look easy. It’s been quite the contrast,� Schauffele, 24, said at the BMW. “We’re dealing with that and just trying to get better.�
