Tiger Woods shoots 62 to tie course record at Aronimink
NEWTOWN TWP. » If you throw a world-class shindig, like what’s already shaping up for this weekend at Aronimink Golf Club, the Philadelphia region is going to turn out fullthroated and ready to rock.
It is one of the truisms of this region. Another is that as long as a big-time sporting event doesn’t interfere with the beloved Eagles, it has a chance to truly capture the imagination of Philadelphia. That’s where we are just one round into the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship.
On a sweltering Thursday at the 90-year-old Donald Ross-designed gem of a course, golf’s (still) biggest name, Tiger Woods, equaled the course-record and fashioned his lowest round on tour in more than five years. The highest-profile player from Europe, Rory McIlroy, also carded an 8-under-par
62 to share the lead.
It’s an excellent score by anyone. But a 62 by the
42-year-old Woods is monumental.
“My biggest takeaway?” Woods said. “I made some putts. I got off to a better start than I have most of the season.”
Recovering from the fourth surgery on his achy back in the spring of 2017, Woods tied his career-low in the FedExCup Playoffs (2009) and registered one of the best competitive rounds of his career. Only four times in his illustrious career, which dates back to 1992, has Woods bettered his 8-underpar effort of Thursday.
“I needed it,” Woods said. “I really did.”
It was Woods’ lowest round since he last won, at the PGA’s Bridgestone Invitational in 2013. On Thursday he carded a 29 in the opening nine, including an eagle, and the roars echoed across the rolling hills at Aronimink. He declined to play in the Pro-Am Wednesday, and the strategy worked.
“I needed a day off to recover and make sure I was fresh,” said Woods, citing last week’s Dell Technologies Championship not finishing until Monday. “As hot as it was, I think one of the guys pulled out after nine holes and a couple caddies went down as well (Wednesday). I wanted to manage it. ... Disappointed I didn’t play in the Pro-Am, (but) it was the best thing for me.”
The elite field of 70 handled Aronimink efficiently, with nearly half of the field in red numbers. But with a leaderboard like this, and the star power at the top, nobody would care. Tour and course officials had a hard time suppressing their glee on Thursday evening.
They were expecting about 120,000 spectators to pass through the gates this week. But that number could be approached before they get to Sunday’s final round. Especially if Tiger sticks around at the top.
That seems a certainty, with nearly all of the top 50 players in attendance. And there are some very real indications that Woods has been building toward his first victory on the PGA Tour in five long, injuryplagued years. He arrived in the Delaware Valley having missed just two cuts in 16 tries in 2018, and has three top-10s since the U.S. Open, including a runnerup finish at the PGA Championship last month.
In all, Woods has 10 top-25 results this season, which is easily his most since he was the PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2013.
“I always enjoy playing with Tiger and, obviously, it’s been nice to see him back playing well, especially the last few months,” said playing partner Rickie Fowler, who shot a 5-under 65.
The Tiger Effect is a phenomenon unlike any other in any sport, and it is backed by some compelling recent evidence. At the PGA at Bellerive in Missouri, Woods was in the hunt all week and television ratings increased 69 percent over the previous year. It was the highest rated final round of the PGA Championship since 2009, and Woods was the 54-hole leader that year.
And the appeal is not limited by country or nationality. At last July’s British Open, Woods was in the mix before placing sixth, and TV ratings were the highest in a dozen years.
You only need to look at the incredible mass of infrastructure the Tour has erected at the BMW Championship to realize that this event — the fourth of the five tournament FedEx Cup playoff — is a much bigger deal than Aronimink’s last forays into the PGA Tour, the 2010 and 2011 AT&T Nationals.
In 2010, Woods made his only other appearance at Aronimink. He was the defending AT&T champ but was a non-factor that week in finishing 46th. A year later he was injured and did not participate. So it’s safe to say that Aronimink and Philly are poised to feel the full ramifications of the Tiger Effect this weekend, barring some sort of precipitous downfall.
“I know it can get a little hectic,” Fowler acknowledged. “You definitely don’t want to be playing in front of (Woods).”
There is no way to get attendance clues yet, although the PGA will likely release the raw numbers following Sunday’s conclusion. But Thursday’s galleries were healthy, especially the throng following the threesome of Woods, Jordan Spieth and Fowler.
“I think it was just a good, solid round of golf,” Fowler reported. “(Woods) hit some close (and) made a couple nice putts. It was fun to watch.”
And keep in mind it was a steamy weekday with the defending Super Bowl champs preparing to start the 2018 campaign later in the night.
“We all benefit from Tiger Woods playing well,” McIlroy said. “I’m happy he is up there and it will be a great tournament if he stays up there.”
Temperatures will cool off considerably heading into round two. The forecast also calls for rain Friday and beyond, but unlike a Tiger-free golf tournament, it may not matter when it comes to attendance.
So long as Woods keeps looking like the Tiger of old.