Hoffman builds 5-shot lead as Woods fades

NASSAU, Bahamas — Charley Hoffman handled the blustery conditions for a five-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge as Tiger Woods fell 10 shots behind.

The wind was the strongest it has been all week at Albany Golf Club, and it showed in the scores Saturday. Hoffman had a 2under 70 that matched the best score of the day, and only three other players broke par.

The wind also took the air out of any hopes that Woods, playing for the first time in 10 months following a fourth back surgery, would get into the mix at his holiday tournament. Instead, he was blown away early and battled late for a 75.

Woods opened with four bogeys in seven holes. He went 11 consecutive holes without hitting a green. He didn’t have a birdie putt on four of the par 5s he played. And he didn’t make a birdie until the 14th green, removing his cap to acknowledge the crowd and holding up a finger to indicate his first birdie.

“It’s ridiculous it took me 14 holes to make a birdie,” Woods said. “At that time, I’d already played four par 5s and nothing happened. Just one of those days. Anything I did right ended up in a bad spot, and then everything I did wrong, it was really bad.”

Hoffman hit his share, sending his tee shot far right into the bushes on a sand dune right of the 10th fairway. He took a penalty drop onto a sandy path and wound up with a double bogey that brought a half-dozen players back into the mix.

But not for long. Hoffman closed with three birdies over his last five holes, including the 18th hole for the second straight day. That put him at 14-under 202.

Justin Rose, an Albany resident, had a 71 and joined British Open champion Jordan Spieth (72) at 9-under 207.

“I think overall, I’m very happy with what’s going on this week,” Woods said. “There were a lot of questions that I had — I’m sure you guys have had — and I feel like I’ve come out on a good side.”

But he made it clear he had fewer questions about his performance than the public.

“I knew how I was playing at home,” he said. “I knew how I was hitting shots. I knew what was going on. Obviously, the very intelligent people out there didn’t know.”