Tiger barely makes cut at Memorial
Five months without competition, and Tiger Woods was grinding over key shots and big putts Friday at the Memorial. None was bigger than a 7-foot par putt on his final hole.
It kept him from going home.
Woods, above, missed a pair of 3-foot putts early that shut down momentum, twice missed the green with awkward chip shots in deep rough and had to finish birdie-birdie-par for a 4-over 76.
It was just enough to make the cut on the number at 3-over 147, his highest 36-hole score at Muirfield Village since his Memorial debut in 1997.
Woods said his back felt a little stiff while warming up and he couldn’t move through his swing like he would have liked. He said it was a struggle on a warm, calm morning at Muirfield Village.
But when asked if it was enough to keep him from playing the rest of the week, Woods replied, “I would like to have the opportunity to play tomorrow.”
Woods was outside the cut when he finished, and he was helped by a pair of fellow Californians. Max Homa finished with two bogeys, and Bryson DeChambeau made a 10 on the par-5 15th hole, moving the cut to 3 over.
Ryan Palmer (68) and Tony Finau (69) managed just fine and were tied for the lead, leaving Woods 12 shots behind going into the weekend.
The finish at least gave him a chance. “I finished birdie-birdie-par,” he said. “That’s about the only positive to it today.”
Woods is a five-time winner of the Memorial, and his next victory would set the PGA Tour career record of 83. Also looming is the first major of the year at the PGA Championship in three weeks.
For a 44-year-old who won the first of his 82 tour titles at age 20, time isn’t on his side.
“Aging is not fun,” he said. “Early on in my career, I thought it was fantastic because I was getting better and better and better. And now I’m just trying to hold on.”