I didn’t make any putts this week, says beleaguered Woods

NEW JERSEY, Paramus: Tiger Woods entered on Sunday needing to post a very low score to get anywhere near the top of the leaderboard at The Northern Trust in Paramus, NJ Or at least to hit his goal of ending his day double digits under par for the tournament.

All he could manage on Sunday was a 1-under-par score of 70 to end the tournament at 4-under 280, well off the 18-under result of winner Bryson Dechambeau. But Woods was pleased with his round on Sunday and upbeat about his performance, even if the greens didn’t cooperate.

“Today was great,” he told reporters after finishing tied for 40th at Ridgewood Country Club. “I had five lip-outs today. Those go in, and the round totally changes and flips and I shoot in the low 60s.

“Today I felt great from tee to green. I felt great over the putter. They just didn’t go in. I can accept days like today.”

Woods started his round by driving his ball left on No 1, striking a spectator. He managed to hit out of the rough and onto the green to salvage a par. He birdied the par-3 No 2 hole, then watched putts on holes 3, 4 and 7 fall just short and lip out on holes 9 and 11.

Woods scored his second birdie of the day on the par-4 hole 14 to move to 5 under for the tournament, but he quickly gave the shot back on the par-3 15th hole. His putt for par nipped the edge of the left hole and just missed.

“I’ve done a lot better this week, but at the end of the day, it’s more important to make putts,” Woods said. “I didn’t make any putts this week.” — Reuters