Woods admits Match Play could be taxing on back

MEXICO CITY – What a difference a day makes. One day after he was lucky to escape his first-ever hole in Mexico with a double-bogey, Tiger Woods moved up the leaderboard with a second-round 66 at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec. “I had that one three-wiggle there at 17,� he said, “but overall it was a pretty good day. I felt like I got a lot out of the round and plotted my way around the golf course nicely and never really got out of position.� Making his third start of the season after a couple of top-20 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and Genesis Open, Woods hit 11 of 14 fairways, hit 13 greens in regulation and took just 26 putts. He also made 108 feet of putts. Those numbers would have been even better had his last birdie try, from just over 11 feet, not taken a hard lip-out. The performance moved him well up the leaderboard, from a tie for 25th place to tie for 7th when he signed his card. “Just keep plodding along,� he said of his plans for the weekend. “I think that the winning score here really hasn’t been all that low.� Woods was injured for the first edition of the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017, and didn’t qualify to play last year, when he was just starting to play his way back into form. He captured his 80th PGA TOUR title at the TOUR Championship to culminate his comeback season. Even in a field that boasts 46 of the top 50 ranked players in the world, his presence has thrilled galleries here, who have been grateful and at times deliriously excited to see him in person for the first time. Even the first-tee announcer got into the act as his wild introduction of the main attraction Thursday was more boxing or soccer than golf, and cracked up Woods. “Yeah, because he said my name three times,� Woods said with a smile. It was right after his wild intro that he hooked a 5-wood out of bounds with his first swing. There were no such problems Friday. “The ball wasn’t flying as far today,� he said. “It wasn’t as warm, wasn’t as windy, so it was a little bit easier to do the calculations, and with my feels. Yesterday was tough; today was easier, and I hit a lot of shots pin-high today.�

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RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Viktor Hovland won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday for his first PGA TOUR title, chipping in for eagle on the par-5 15th and racing in a 30-footer for birdie on the par-5 18th for a one-stroke victory over Josh Teater. Related: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Viktor Hovland “The only or the first person to play out here was Henry Bjornstad,” Hovland said. “I grew up kind of watching him play or following the scores online. So to kind of follow his footsteps and be able to win kind of the first tournament for Norway is really special. A bunch of my friends and just normal people from back home paying attention, which is a lot more than I could ask for.” Hovland overcame a muddy triple bogey on the par-3 11th with the late surge at windy Coco Beach. The 22-year-old former Oklahoma State star shot a 2-under 70 to finish at 20-under 268. “It feels crazy being here,” Hovland said. “It was certainly a day of lots of ups and downs.” Teater closed with a 69 in the tournament played opposite the World Golf Championships event in Mexico. He rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 with birdies on 15 and 17. “Hats off to Viktor, that’s a great putt,” Teater said. “Actually, heard it on the radio that it went in before I saw it on TV. He’s a great player and we’re going to see it more often.” Hovland earned $540,000, a full TOUR exemption through the 2021-22 season and spots in the PGA Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship. “I was just thinking about trying to play as well as I could today and trying to get the job done,” Hovland said. “I hadn’t really thought about the perks yet, but I’m sure it’s going to be nice to get into some of the events that I wasn’t already qualified for.” Hovland shot a 64 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round. He earned a PGA TOUR card last year in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals after winning the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach, then sweeping low amateur honors at The Masters and U.S. Open. Kyle Stanley, Sam Ryder and Emiliano Grillo tied for third at 15 under. Stanley had a 68, and Ryder and Grillo shot 69. Martin Laird, a shot behind Hovland entering the day, closed with a 75 to tie for sixth at 14 under with Matthew NeSmith (67) and Ted Potter Jr. (69). Jhonattan Vegas shot 62 to reach 13 under.

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The PGA Tour goes away from tradition stroke play for a week and brings out its own bracket. Here is how to watch the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on ESPN+.

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