More pain than gain
Injured leg hampers game as Woods hits 74 in first round
Tiger Woods is playing golf again, something that seemed unlikely a year ago. But playing good golf is going to be a whole other project.
Woods shot a 4-over 74 to open the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Okla., noticeably wincing on most of his shots in his final few holes Thursday.
“My leg is not feeling as good as I would like it to be,” he said.
It has been just 15 months since Woods suffered injuries to his leg so severe that doctors told him amputation was on the table. The 46year-old said his recovery Thursday night would involve “lots” of treatment and ice baths. His aim is to reduce the inflammation in his leg to be able to prepare for Friday.
“I just can’t load it,” Woods said. “Loading hurts, pressing off it hurts, and walking hurts, and twisting hurts. It’s just golf … if I don’t do that, then I’m all right.”
The 15-time major winner started his round in as idyllic a way as possible, knocking his opening-hole approach to within three feet of the hole and draining the birdie putt. He added another birdie on the par-3 14th — Woods started on the back nine — but bogeyed four of his next six holes.
He is nine shots back of leader Rory McIlroy and will have some work to do Friday just to make the cut.
Woods, who played the weekend at the Masters in his last start, said he did not have a sharp iron game Thursday and struggled to hit his spots. “I didn’t get the ball very close. I got off to a great start and didn’t keep it going,” he said. “I really didn’t give myself any looks for birdie. It was a frustrating day.”
Canadian struggles
Despite plenty of optimism for the Canadian crew this week at Southern Hills Country Club, none of Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners or Mackenzie Hughes finished under par Thursday.
Hadwin’s 3-over 73 was the low Canadian effort. He was 1 under after four holes but made three bogeys in a row, starting on No. 12.
Conners, who came into the week having finished in the top 20 in five of the last six majors, shot a 6-over 76. He hasn’t recorded a score that high at a major since the 2020 U.S. Open, when he shot 76 in the second round.
Hughes started off steady enough, sitting at even par through five holes, but struggled to close his day. He finished with a 7-over 77.
The Daly diet
The opening anecdote of Tiger Woods’ pre-tournament news conference was about John Daly’s hydration effort the last time the PGA Championship came to Southern Hills.
It was 42 degrees with the humidity on Thursday that week. Woods played behind Daly and asked him how many waters he had.
“No,” Daly replied, “I had 13 Diet Cokes.”
Times change, but some people don’t.
Daly, who play in the PGA Championship as long as he want, thanks to his no-one-would-have-predicted-it win in 1991, arrived on the first tee Thursday, plopped a large McDonalds cup into the holder of his power cart, and off he went.
The cup, folks assume, had Diet Coke in it, although Daly declined to speak to media on-site.
He was a real threat on the leaderboard for most of the morning. He hit the opening shot of the 104th PGA Championship and birdied his first hole.
He struggled coming in, though, bogeying four of his final five holes and finishing with a 2-over 72.
Loading (the leg) hurts, pressing off it hurts, and walking hurts, and twisting hurts. It’s just golf … if I don’t do that, then I’m all right.
TIGER WOODS