Tiger Woods has said he wants to go down the weekend to the PGA Championship. It became clear very quickly in the third round on Saturday that this was not happening. Instead, Woods, in cold, windy and rainy conditions, had the worst run of his career in this major championship, posting 9 of 79.
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During one streak, he made five consecutive bogeys, which he had never done in a major championship as a professional. His walking was, once again, labored, and his game was reminiscent of when he limped around two bad rounds on the weekend at last month’s Masters.
Here’s how Woods’ brutal day at Southern Hills unfolded:
No. 1: Par 4, 451 yards
He opened his day with a perfect drive. He went down from there. With an awkward lie, Woods missed the green shorts. Then he hit a bad, bad first putt from the green, leaving him 15 feet short. But, as he did in the final nine Friday to make the cut, Woods crushed a par.
Tiger starts his weekend in Southern Hills.@Tiger Woods | #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/wE4yT9iXjK
– PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2022
Score: normal
Total for the day: even
Where he stands for the tournament: 3 over
No. 2: Par 4, 480 yards
Woods stared at his tee shot for a long moment as it was in the air at the second. It’s never a good sign. He went into the water. A solid iron after the penalty prevented things from getting worse.
Result: Bogey
Total for the day: 1 out of
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 3: Par 4, 444 yards
Woods went with another cut top off the tee. This has been his gesture all week. Other than the misjudged wind at the second which resulted in a ball of water, it worked. From there he converted an easy par.
Score: normal
Total for the day: 1 out of
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 4: Par 4, 377 yards
Another perfect tee shot. Followed by a perfectly controlled corner, to a jump and a stop. But for one of the few times this week, Woods’ putter let him down. He took out the 6-foot birdie putt. But how weird is golf? His playing partner, Shaun Norris, hit his tee shot into the hurdle, but opted to play it from there instead of taking a penalty. With an impossible lie, Norris somehow placed the ball behind three greens. Then, of course, he rolled in a 50-footer for a birdie.
What a birdie streak from Shaun Norris!#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/B4sNIKR19t
– PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2022
Score: normal
Total for the day: 1 out of
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 5: Par 5, 656 yards
A bad drive required an escape-artist recovery from the trees. And Woods did just that, with a low hook and sling out of the trees. Back in the fairway, facing a much easier shot than the one he just hit, Woods hit a middle iron that ended any birdie chance.
Score: normal
Total for the day: 1 out of
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 6: Par 3, 226 yards
Well, that was a mess. Woods came from 30 yards short on the par-3 and the ball found the water. Things haven’t improved. From the drop zone, Woods hit a shaky wedge that didn’t reach the green. His green side chip did not find the putting surface. The sixth is not an easy hole, but Woods certainly didn’t think he would come away with a 6.
Assessment: Triple bogey
Total for the day: 4 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 7 over
No. 7: Par 4, 443 yards
A poor tee shot put Woods back in scrambling mode. The rough was too deep, the lie was too bad for him to make it to the green. He slept. Hit a good pitch, but a not-so-good putt. So he followed up the triple in the sixth with another loose shot in the seventh.
Result: Bogey
Total for the day: 5 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 8 over
No. 8: Par 3, 220 yards
Woods hit another weak iron that settled miles from the pin. He did, however, hit a massive 60-foot putt, which almost found a way in for an unlikely birdie. But considering the way things had gone the previous few holes, a par was fine.
Score: normal
Total for the day: 5 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 8 over
No. 9: Par 4, 395 yards
A bad day got worse on the 9th. His driver, who had been so solid for so long in this PGA Championship, was starting to fail him. He found a bunker off the tee. In the sand he failed to get out, instead shooting a ball in the face from the fairway trap, a noticeable grimace as soon as he made impact. Luckily for him, the ball dug into the grass instead of the bunker, which allowed Woods to take a free drop. Still, after it was all done, it was another tough hole to close a 6 of 41 on the front side.
Result: Bogey
Total for the day: 6 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 9 over
No. 10: Par 4, 376 yards
Another failed fairway. The rough was so thick and wet that Woods couldn’t even get close to the green even though he only had 163 yards left. It was the eighth green he missed in 10 holes. Another knock down.
Result: Bogey
Total for the day: 7 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 10 out of
No. 11: Par 3, 173 yards
Another awfully short shot. Then horrible pitch that overshot the green. Woods is struggling and at this point just wants to get to the clubhouse.
Result: Bogey
Total for the day: 8 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 11 out
No. 12: Par 4, 461 yards
Woods just smiled when his second shot landed in the bunker. Really, on a day like this, what else could he do?
Tiger Woods has hit at least 6 greens in regulation in every major round since 2003 (over 200 rounds of golf during that time).
It’s 2 for 12 so far today. pic.twitter.com/Lz2AbndfZC
— ESPN Stats and Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 21, 2022
Result: Bogey
Total for the day: 9 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 12 on
No. 13: Par 5, 632 yards
Woods threw another chip shot. Obviously, his body doesn’t allow him to get down on the ball on short shots. A rare birdie chance turned into another bogey.
Result: Bogey
Total for the day: 10 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 13 out of
No. 14: Par 3, 230 yards
Finally, a peer. It didn’t come easily; Woods made a 6-footer to avoid a three-putt bogey. But it was his first par since the eighth hole.
Tiger Woods is currently 10 of 14 holes from the third round of the PGA Championship.
Woods’ highest scores in 88 previous major championship starts:
81 (R3, Open Championship 2002)
80 (R1, 2015 US Open)— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) May 21, 2022
Score: normal
Total for the day: 10 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 13 out of
No. 15: Par 4, 417 yards
Finally, something good happened for Woods. He rolled in a 35-footer for a birdie. Why does that matter, beyond the fact that it was his first birdie of the round and gave him a reason to smile without it being a sarcastic smile? This moved it to 9, meaning breaking 80 for its turn is back in play.
Rating: Birdie
Total for the day: 9 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 12 on
No. 16: Par 4, 522 yards
Woods had 233 yards on his second shot … at a par-4. He looked at caddy Joe LaCava when LaCava gave him the footage. He was in disbelief. Still, Woods hit the green and made a par.
Score: normal
Total for the day: 9 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 12 on
No. 17: Par 4, 371 yards
A chance for another birdie was gone thanks to another bad bunker shot. Woods hit his driveable par-4 tee shot into the greenside trap, but then blasted his approach 20 feet long and off the green. A par on 18 and he will avoid shooting 80.
Score: normal
Total for the day: 9 more
Where he stands for the tournament: 12 on
No. 18: Par 4, 491 yards
Woods was 10 on 13 holes. A score in the 80s seemed inevitable. But Woods isn’t giving up and he’s played his last five holes in 1 under to avoid his third round in the ’80s as a professional. Still, his third-round 79 was the worst score he had ever posted at the PGA Championship.
Score: normal
Total for the day: 9 out of 79
Where he stands for the tournament: 12 on