Well, I gave up on Kentucky after the Arkansas game, and they ended up going to the Final Four. And then I mocked Tiger's troubles, and all of a sudden he got really hot. He was at even par through seven holes, but then he birdied 8, 9, and 10. He survived 11 and 12, and then birdied 13, 14, and 15 to get to six under. He just missed an 8-foot putt on 16 that would have put him only three shots off the lead. But he has taken over the position of Low American.
The other big late story is Jason Day. The big Australian birdied 2, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, and 18 -- and took no bogeys -- for a 64 that leaves him in second place at 8 under. So tomorrow, he and McIlroy will be playing together for the third day in a row.
Nevertheless, I still think this tournament is McIlroy's to lose.
1. R. McIlroy (NIR): -10 (36 holes)
2. J. Day (AUS): -8 (36)
3. K.J. Choi (KOR): -7 (36)
T4. G. Ogilvy (AUS): -6 (36)
T4. A. Quiros (ESP): -6 (36)
T4. T. Woods: -6 (34)
Woods's drive on 17 goes into the first cut of rough, so he should have a decent shot at the green.
ReplyDeleteRicky Fowler finished at 5 under, so he is tied with Ricky Barnes and Fred Couples in the race for Low American.
ReplyDeleteTiger's second shot goes over the green on 17, but he makes exactly the sort of great save shot he used to make all the time, and gets the ball to within about a foot of the hole. He'll have that for par.
ReplyDeleteMore on American golf: Lucas Glover (the 2009 U.S. Open champion), Stewart Cink (the 2009 British Open champion), Zach Johnson (the 2007 Masters champion), and Anthony Kim (considered to be America's best young golfer) -- are all at 2 over par, meaning that they will likely miss the cut by one shot.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, it looks as though only 21 Americans will make the cut, meaning that Americans will account for less than half the field on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteTiger's drive on 18 bounds off into the rough along the right side of the fairway.
ReplyDeleteThe guy on PGA Tour Radio said that he couldn't see Tiger putting his second shot on the green. But he was wrong! Tiger used this sort of weird curling swing to gouge the ball out of the rough, under the pine trees, and onto the green, where it rolled to within about 15 feet of the hole.
ReplyDeleteHe will have that putt for a birdie that would bring him to within three shots of the lead.
Tiger nails the putt! He gives it a sort of very calm, very cool, fist pump just as the ball goes in -- almost like an ironic fist pump toward all the people like me who thought he was out of it.
ReplyDeleteHe plays the last 11 holes in 7 under par with birdies on 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, and 18. He goes out in 35, and comes in with 31. He is now tied for third place, only three shots behind McIlroy.
And he has a two-shot lead for Low American.
There's only one group left on the course, and the only significant player in that group is Sergio Garcia, who is in a tie for 12th at 4 under.
ReplyDeleteGarcia misses his birdie putt on 18, and settles for a par.
ReplyDelete