After poor showing, no weekend golf for Tiger
LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods waited 12 years to get back to Riviera Country Club and lasted only two days.
Woods carded three straight bogeys early on the back nine Friday and didn’t play well enough to make up for his misses. He shot a 5-over-par 76 and missed the cut in the Genesis Open for the first time in nine appearances as a pro.
He was at 6-over 148, one shot worse than his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old at the course.
“I missed every tee shot left and I did not putt well, didn’t feel very good on the greens,” Woods said. “And consequently, never made a run. I knew I had to make a run on that back nine, and I went the other way.”
Patrick Cantlay ran off three straight birdies toward the end of his morning round, starting with a tap-in putt on the par-3 sixth — where he missed a hole-in-one by a fraction of an inch — and shot a 69. He was tied for the lead for the second straight day, this time with Graeme McDowell (66), the former U.S. Open champion who is trying to work his way back from a two-year slump. They were at 7-under 135.
Sam Saunders also was at 7 under, making back-to-back birdies until it was too dark to continue. He had three holes remaining in his second round. Ryan Moore bogeyed his final hole for a 68 and was one shot behind at 136.
Woods plans to stick around for the weekend because his TGR Foundation hosts the event, which is one reason he played Riviera for the first time since 2006. Just as his second round was starting, the Honda Classic announced he would be playing next week at PGA National in Florida.
“I need some tournament rounds,” Woods said.
Riviera was tough on everyone with the firm conditions under two days of full sunshine, and Woods is still getting used to competing again.
“I haven’t played golf in years,” Woods said after what was only his third PGA Tour event since August 2015, due to back surgeries. “I’m starting to come back, and it’s going to take a little time. I am progressing. I’m starting to get a feel for tournament golf again. I just need to clean up my rounds.”
Cantlay was coming off a three-putt bogey when his tee shot at the par-3 sixth — the hole with a bunker in the middle of the green — landed above the flag and to the right, then rolled back down the slope just over the right edge of the cup.
“I actually missed a little to the right,” Cantlay said, “but it’s a bowl back there, so as long as you get the number right, it should be pretty close.”
McDowell has gone 59 starts worldwide since his last victory and has fallen out of the top 200 in the world. He had missed four straight cuts dating to late last year.
With more than 20 golfers unable to finish their rounds, the projected cut line was at 2 over. Baylor School graduate Luke List was 1 over for the tournament and tied for 52nd with one hole remaining in his second round, in much better shape than two other former Red Raiders. Harris English (76) was at 5 over, with Stephan Jaeger (72) at 8 over.
Jimenez by one
NAPLES, Fla. — Miguel Angel Jimenez eagled the par-5 third hole as he opened with an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic.
Jimenez birdied four of the first seven holes at TwinEagles Golf Club’s Talon course. On his back nine, he bogeyed No. 1, eagled No. 3 and birdied Nos. 4, 7 and 8.
David Frost and Gary Hallberg were tied for second, with Glen Day, Lee Janzen, Scott McCarron, Jesper Parnevik and Kevin Sutherland sharing fourth at 66.
Pavon takes lead
MUSCAT, Oman — Less than three weeks after disqualifying himself for signing an incorrect scorecard in Dubai, Matthieu Pavon was in the headlines again — this time for leading the Oman Open at the halfway point.
He made seven birdies in his first 14 holes in the second round at Al Mouj Golf Club, then produced a fighting finish to save pars down the stretch and close on a 7-under 65. Pavon is at 11-under 133 overall in the European Tour event and holds a two-shot lead over Matthew Southgate (70). Chris Wood (66) and Paul Waring (71) were tied for third at 8 under.
Asked about his selfless act in Dubai — when he realized he had accidentally signed for a 3 instead of a 4 on one hole — the 156th-ranked Pavon said: “I really don’t think too much about it. At that time I just did what I knew was the right thing to do. Of course, I appreciate all the nice messages I got after that, but today was just good golf.”
Rookie is rolling
ADELAIDE, Australia — Jin Young Ko shot a 3-under 69 in the second round of the Women’s Australian Open to increase her lead to three strokes in her LPGA Tour debut.
The South Korean was at 10-under 134 at Kooyonga Golf Club, with American Emma Talley, the 2013 U.S. amateur champion, in second place after following her opening 68 with a 69.
Jiyai Shin (71) was another stroke behind and tied for third.