Woods to play waiting game
HAMILTON: Breezed in FORMER Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and American Patrick Cantlay set the early clubhouse target in the Players Championship as Tiger Woods faced a lengthy wait to see if he would make the halfway cut.
Schwartzel added a bogey-free 66 to his opening 68 at Sawgrass to reach 10 under par, a total matched by Cantlay courtesy of a 68. Chesson Hadley was a shot off the pace after dropping three shots in his last two holes, with Jason Day – seeking back-to-back wins following victory in the Wells Fargo Championship last week – part of a four-strong group another stroke back on eight under.
Woods carded two birdies and one bogey in a second round of 71 to finish one under par, right on the projected cut mark.
Woods could manage to find just 11 greens in regulation and in doing so he was never inside 10-feet with his approach shots. “I was just a touch off today,” Woods said after his round. “I didn’t make many birdies. I had my chances. I didn’t hit it close enough.”
Schwartzel has 11 European Tour titles to his name but has won just once on the PGA Tour – the 2016 Valspar Championship – since his victory at Augusta in 2011.
But the 33-year-old has been coming into form with a third place alongside Louis Oosthuizen in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans followed by a top-10 finish at Quail Hollow on Sunday.
“I’ve been making a bunch of birdies in the last few weeks and making just as many bogeys and the difference this week is obviously making a lot less bogeys,” said Schwartzel, who has dropped just one shot in 36 holes.
“It started changing for me on the back nine on Friday at New Orleans.
“I started playing a lot better and have rolled with it.”