EVEN WOODS
Tiger trails by four shots after first round of Honda Classic
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — There was this fun moment Thursday, this fun and brief moment, when Tiger Woods birdied two of his first four holes, sat atop the leaderboard of the Honda Classic and everyone felt this good buzz of possibility at PGA National.
“Just keep it going,” Tiger said he thought at that moment. “Keep doing what I’m doing and give myself some looks.”
It didn’t keep going, of course. He drove into the fairway bunker on his 12th hole, leading to a succession of trouble that left him salvaging a double-bogey with a 5-foot putt.
He finished with an even-par 70 on the day. Not bad. Not bad at all, considering the windy conditions, this was just his seventh tournament round since taking a year off for back surgery and he’s within sight of leaders Alexander Noren and Webb Simpson, who both sit at 4 under.
Still, that opening moment of the opening round was a reminder of what it once felt like to be at a tournament when some Tiger magic spreads like electricity across a golf course. People look at the scoreboard across the course. People point. An undercurrent starts. Someone cheers. The crowd around Tiger, always big, becomes bigger and more energized, as if they’re witness to a magic carpet is about to take off.
“Yeah, but still have, what, 63 more holes to go,” Tiger said. Did he feel the buzz? “No, 63 more holes to go,” he said. What Tiger did feel Thursday was something more grounded and fundamental, especially on a day so dry and windy they might as well have put windmills and ramps on the greens like a putt-putt course.
“I played hard,” he said. “It was difficult out there. I had to try and put the ball in the correct spots, and there’s interesting putts out there for us. Definitely, it was different, like playing a British Open.
“You get a shot on the green and see a big puff of sand. It was tough all the way around. I just had to grind it out all day and (am) very happy with it.”
If there are 12 steps to Tiger’s recovery in golf, this is one of the first. Health, of course, is primary. But toughing through a tough round is up there. Staying focused on each shot. These were things that once defined Tiger, but he now admits having to re-learn if he’s to win again at age 42.
That’s why when he was asked what shot pleased him the most this day, he didn’t answer about the 19-foot birdie putt on the second hole or a nice, up-and-down combination No. 14.
“Probably the tee shot off No. 4 was nice,” he said. This was the shot after he doublebogeyed the par-5 third hole (Tiger started play on the back nine). He had dropped back to even-par and anything was possible at that point. He felt in between clubs, too, a 2-iron possibly too much and a 3-iron too little.
“I took something off the 2-iron, threw it up in the air, and that felt really good,” he said.
Everyone wants to read something into every Tiger round. Like: This means he’s on his way back. Or: This proves he’ll never win again. The truth is these are steps being taken, small steps, one after another, and we’ll see where it leads — if anywhere.
Certainly he won’t be the dominant player he once was. But can he win? Just Wednesday, Tiger mentioned he felt “a little exposed” after three 3-putts in his previous round last Friday in Los Angeles. On Thursday, he felt good putting. He felt more in control of his full game. Even par. A decent round. Now comes the challenge Tiger faces on his comeback tour. Do it again Friday.