Woods’ 7 under takes him to 9th
NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods saved par from the dunes with a shot so good that two spectators ran over and scooped up sand for a souvenir.
It also served as motivation Friday at the Hero World Challenge. The tee shot on the par-3 eighth that landed next to a bush was so bad that Woods said he told caddie Joe LaCava after his par putt, “I’m not dropping a shot.” And he didn’t. Woods capped a bo- gey-free round with an even more unlikely par save on the 16th hole. What stood out on a balmy day at Albany Golf Club was a seven-hole stretch in the middle of the round in which he never really missed a shot. It led to enough birdies for a 7-under 65, leaving him six shots behind and in a tie for ninth in the 17-man field.
His golf was as good as it was Thursday — his first competition in 15 months — only this time he eliminated the mistakes.
“I wanted to keep that card clean,” Woods said. “I don’t know what it is about playing and competing, but keeping cards clean, there’s something really special. And it feels pretty good about doing that.”
Dustin Johnson birdied the final hole Friday for a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead with Hideki Matsuyama.
Matsuyama, who has won three of his last four tournaments, shot a 67.
They were at 12-under 132, two shots ahead of Matt Kuchar and Louis Oosthuizen, who each had a 67.
Justin Rose, who opened with a 74, withdrew with back problems. That left Woods as a single, and when he realized there would not be much wind, he felt he could play just as well without a marker (typically the club pro) to get a feel for how various shots might be affected.
He was on his own and moving in the right direction.
The par save on No. 8 and a wedge to tap-in range on No. 9 allowed him to make the turn in 33, just like Thursday. The difference was how he finished.
He made seven birdies, but nothing brought out the emotion like a par.
His tee shot on the 16th, where he made double bogey Thursday, took a wild hop into a bush in the sandy area. Enough of the ball was showing that Woods tried to hit 6-iron to the front bunker, but it came out heavy into more of the waste area. The next shot was well beyond the hole.
The par putt dropped on its final turn, and Woods thrust his fist toward the cup and slapped the face of his putter.
Two more pars and he was done, and feeling much better about the next two days.
“I really had it dialed in both ways,” he said. “I was shaping it both ways and I really had nice control of my [trajectory]. That was the key. I was able to keep the ball down when I needed to and send it at times.”
Woods stayed out of golf following two back surgeries over the last three months of 2015, and he had not competed since a tie for 10th at the Wyndham Championship on Aug. 23, 2015. There have been no issues with his back, and Woods said he has made