By BRETT CYRGALIS
Tiger Woods was a bit up and down today, the 14-time major champion first going out and getting it back to even par through 14 holes. Then he got to Nos. 15 and 16 and went double-bogey, bogey, parred No. 17 and bogeyed No. 18 to finish with a first-round total of 74. Plus-4.
“I was even par with four to go,” Woods said. “I mean, it’s not like I was hitting it all over the place. I was hitting a lot of good shots. Unfortunately, I just didn’t finish off the round the way I needed to.”
Woods played the first six holes yesterday before rain stopped play. He said that was actually an advantage.
“I think the guys who are playing today and tomorrow morning will have to play more mud balls,” Woods said. “[The course] looked great. The staff did a hell of a job getting the course ready [today]. “It was great out there.”
Here is every shot he played in his first round over today and yesterday. No. 18: Tiger hits his tee shot into the right bunker, not a bad lie on the upslope. He then plays his second just over the greenside bunker on the right to leave himself a dicey chip shot. He played it to the left of the hole and missed a six-footer for par. Another bogey and first-round total of 74. Plus 4.
No. 17: Hit a good long-iron onto the front portion of the green – the pin is on the lower-right half – and and two-putted for par. Good par, Plus 3.
No. 16: Tiger pushes his drive a bit, into the right side of the fairway. From there, it looked like he might of had mud on his ball and it squirted right and long, missing the green. He then chipped past the hole to about six feet and missed the putt, making another bogey. Plus 3.
No. 15: Hit his drive in the right rough. Plays his second up the hill just over the front bunker. From there he has a awkward stance and hits a chip trying to get it to the back pin, but it checks a bit – a sign of how soft the greens are – and rolls all the way down the hill to the front of the green. From there he three putts, leaving his first putt way short, and makes a double bogey. Plus 2.
No. 14: Hits a terrific short-iron just past the hole – which was just over the front bunker in the middle – and it spins back to about five feet. He drains the putt, the crowd goes ballistic and Tiger’s back to even par.
No. 13: The tee was all the way back (again) making the hole play all of 605. Tiger hits his tee shot into the left rough, just above the left bunkers in an awkward lie. He slashes out a one-handed iron as far up the fairway as he can, leaving himself a mid-iron into the green. From there, he hits a high draw to about 20 feet below the hole and to the left. He misses the biridie putt and makes a disappointing par. Plus 1.
No. 12: Tiger got to the tee to see the group in front of him – Robert Allenby, Justin Leonard and Ian Poulter – standing there waiting. He waited about 15 minutes for them to hit and clear, and the put a big high draw over the cross bunker into the fairway. He then hit a blistering long-iron, low and to the right side of the green. (At this point, a fan shouted at him and asked, “What’d ya hit?” Tiger looked ath the guy and showed him three fingers. Driver, 3-iron for the best player in the world). He then putted up around the hole from the fringe and made a four-footer for par. Good par. Plus 1.
No. 11: Tiger stripes a 3-wood right down the center, leaving himself just a short-iron in. He hits it past the hole and almost spins it in the hole, leaving himself three feet for the biridie. He drains it and gets back to plus 1.
No. 10: The tee was moved up again, making the hole about 60 yards shorter. Tiger pushes a driver into the bunker on the right, catching a bad lie. He has to chip out, and leaves it in the light rough on the left side. From there, he hits a terrific wedge past the hole and spins it back to five feet. He drains the putt for a classic US Open par. Plus 1.
No. 9: Tiger bombs a driver with a little draw over the fairway bunker to the middle of the fairway. From there, he hits a pretty good approach, just long and right of the hole, but misses his bid for biridie, tapping in for a routine par. Plus 1.
No. 8: The tee was forward to the second teeing area from the the front, making it a short par-3, with a front pin, receptive greens, a tightly-mown slope down to water in front. Tiger did the safe thing and hit a bit long on the right side, leaving himself a reasonable, 25-foot birdie shot. He missed, tapped in for par. Plus 2.
No. 7: Hit a good tee shot right in the middle of the fairway, no roll. Hits a five wood into the front-right bunker. The horns sounds, but Tiger has the option to play out because he’s in a hazard, and does. Leaves it short and left, about a 20-foot putt for par.
First shot this morning, he misses the par putt on the left side, making his second bogey of the week. Plus 2.
Tiger’s 6 holes from Thursday:
No. 1: Hits driver way left, into the knee-high rough. Catches a decent lie in the trampled down grass and hacks it out into the front-right bunker. Plays a good bunker shot to about four feet. Makes putt for par. Even.
No. 2: Hits a fairway wood to the center of the fairway. Hits a short iron to about 20 feet, a bit long and left. Calls in for squeegees to remove standing water from his line. Misses putt to the left, makes par. Even.
No. 3: Hits a very good long iron shot, about 25 feet short and right of the pin. Doesn’t hit a good putt, taps in for par. Even.
No. 4: Pushes his drive a bit with a little fade, but it stays in the right side of the fairway, short. Hits a five wood onto a finger of grass in the front bunker. Plays a tough shot with one foot in the bunker short the hole to about 20 feet. Misses the biridie putt, taps in for a disappointing par. Even.
No. 5: Hits a terrible drive into the right trees, even with the end of the waste area. Chips out from the long rough to the fairway, about 120 yards. Leaves a wedge shot in the front bunker, a very bad miss. Blasts his fourth out from the bunker past the hole about 15 feet. Misses the putt for bogey and taps in for a double. Plus 2.
No. 6: Hits a low cut off the tee to the top of hill, middle of the fairway. Takes a very controlled swing and put his second to 20 feet left of the back-right pin. Drains the putt for a biridie to get back a shot. Classic Tiger rebound. Plus 1.
