A good round for Woods is even par
AUGUSTA, GA. » Tiger Woods was trying to figure out how to get to the 17th green from closer to the 15th fairway when the massive gallery anticipating his shot heard a huge roar behind them that caused them to look over their shoulders.
Rickie Fowler was responsible for making all that noise with an eagle on the second hole.
The third round of the Masters was just getting started on Saturday. The player so many fans wanted to see was about done.
Needing something special to even have hope, Woods had to settle for ordinary.
A few sloppy bogeys, two of them on par 5s. A few birdies. It added to an even-par 72, his best score of the week.
“I’m not hitting it close enough. I’m not taking advantage of the par 5s and consequently a good round is even par,” Woods said.
It was disappointing, sure, but it also was surprising. Woods spent so much of the Florida swing of the PGA Tour piecing his game back together, and his iron game was particularly sharp. And then at the Masters, it wasn’t. Woods said he knows what the problem is, he just can’t fix it.
And now it’s too late for him to do anything about it.
So instead of Woods capping off this comeback with a fifth green jacket, he had to settle for playing the Masters for the first time in three years. Regardless of the score, no one wanted to miss him. Fans packed into Amen Corner and celebrated with Woods when he hit the green after two days of going into Rae’s Creek. This one settled 8 feet away from the left pin.
“I just couldn’t do it three days in a row,” Woods said. “Missed the putt. But hey, that’s a lot easier to play the hole from the green than it is dropping.”