Woods grinds it out to make Farmers cut
These are the new realities for Tiger Woods. He had to grind out a round simply to be able to play on the weekend and is getting used to the “feels” of his surgically repaired back.
Woods didn’t have to race off to the airport Friday, after all. He made the cut right on the number in the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego by rallying with four birdies on his back nine for a 1-under-par 71 on the North Course at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
It’s the first time in 29 months that Woods, 42, will be playing the weekend on the PGA Tour.
“It was a grind,” Woods said a few minutes after walking off the course to cheers. “I fought hard. Typical, you know, just me going out there and fighting for whatever I can get. It’s all good.”
Ryan Palmer is the 36-hole leader after finishing eaglebirdie on the North Course for a 5-under 67. He had a one-shot lead over Jon Rahm, the defending champion poised to reach No. 1 in the world who birdied two of his last three holes on the North for a 66.
This is only Woods’ second PGA Tour event since he tied for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015. He had two back surgeries that fall, and fusion surgery on his lower back in April.
When was the last time he felt this type of grind when he was healthy?
“Physically healthy?” Woods replied. “Oh jeez, that was probably back in ’13. So, four, five, six years ago, somewhere around there. It’s been a while.”
Thus Woods’ frequent mention of the “feels” of his body.
“Totally different feels, because my body’s different,” he said. “I can’t tell you it’s the same feel I had then because I wasn’t fused. This is a different body. That’s why I’m excited to play the weekend, continue getting used to my feels, because they are different . ... I need more time under the fire of competition.”
He’ll be coming back Saturday to a course that’s been good to him over the years. He’s won this tournament seven times, and Torrey Pines was the site of his dramatic U.S. Open win in 2008, plus a World Junior World Championship as a teenager. LPGA Tour: Brooke Henderson bogeyed the first hole to drop into a tie for the lead before the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in Paradise Island was suspended for the day — and later cut from 72 to 54 holes — because of high wind that moved balls on an exposed green. European Tour: Welsh golfer Jamie Donaldson followed his opening 62 with a 3-under 69 to take the clubhouse lead in the weather-interrupted second round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Tee times were delayed for nearly three hours because of thick fog. That led to none of the afternoon groups, including Rory McIlroy and defending champion Sergio Garcia, being able to finish their second round when darkness suspended play.