Woods rallies, bounces back to make cut
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Like a prize fighter, Tiger Woods took some licks early on during his second round at the 86th Masters.
The 15-time major champion and fivetime winner of the green jacket made bogey on four of his first five holes on Friday, his worst start ever at Augusta National Golf Club.
Woods then stopped the bleeding with a pair of pars before his first birdie of the day on No. 8 to ultimately make the turn at 3 over on the day and 2 over for the tournament.
He put some more color on his scorecard with a stretch of birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie-birdie en route to a 2-over 74 to walk off the course at 1 over for the tournament.
He's tied for 19th place.
Woods, who is playing 14 months after a horrific car accident, has never missed the cut as a professional in the Masters at Augusta National.
“Hey, I made the cut. I got a chance going into the weekend,” Woods said. “I think it’s going to be the golf course that Augusta National wants. It’s going to be quicker, drier, faster. It’s going to be a great test.”
Cink’s ace
Having his son on his bag wasn’t the only thing Stewart Cink was celebrating Friday at the Masters.
It was Reagan’s birthday. And Cink made a hole-in-one on the 16th hole.
“I already got him the hole-in-one,” Cink said when asked what he would get Reagan. “That’s the extent of my birthday present. I gave him the ball. That should be enough, right?”
Cink hit an 8-iron that landed past the hole, then slowly rolled off the hill toward the pin. By the time it went in he had already started walking toward the green.
“The neat part about it was, as the ball got closer down to the hole, I knew it was
going in because the patrons in the front left all were watching it on line and they knew it was in, and they all got up,” Cink said. “When they got up, I knew it wasn’t missing. So that was cool. It was really neat out there.”
Son Reagan dropped the golf bag when the ball went in and embraced his father in a bear hug as fans leaped in glee.
“This golf course and the tournament, it’s just a wonderful environment anyway,” Cink said. “So to have something like that happen was really something I’ll always remember for sure.”
The day wasn’t entirely good for Cink. He ended up shooting a 75 to go 7-over for two rounds and miss the cut.
Dustin’s driving
Dustin Johnson usually is one of the most impressive drivers in golf. Just not this week, mainly because he’s not hitting a lot of drivers.
That’s by choice.
“I’m just trying to keep between the trees so I can hit it on the green,” Johnson said after a 73 left him at 2-under 142, still very much in the hun going into the weekend.
The reason for so many fairway metals off the tee is Johnson can’t seem to get dialed in with the driver. “I’m not swinging it as well as I’m swinging everything else. I feel really comfortable with all the other clubs in my bag, just maybe not quite as comfortable as I usually am with the driver,” Johnson said. “Usually I won’t hit a 3-wood unless I absolutely have to, but for some reason right now, a little struggle with the driver.”
It shows in the statistics. He isn’t even low Johnson in driving distance through two rounds. With an average of 279.7 yards, he trails short-hitting Zach Johnson (280).
Johnson was headed to the range after his round to try to sort it out.
“I think it’s an issue with myself more than anything,” he said. “It’s definitely not an equipment issue.”