Memorial Tournament 2012 Leaderboard: Why Tiger Woods Will Stay in Contention
Tiger Woods' shot a 70 on Thursday, but it's how he pieced together the two-under round and an assortment of relatively unproven talent atop the leaderboard that gives a strong indication the world's most famous golfer will be in contention on Sunday.
Woods had a strong ball-striking day, hitting 67 percent of greens in regulation, but a steady putter was the key to staying in red numbers, as he made all 15 putts seven feet and in.
He's won Jack Nicklaus' tournament four times in his career, most recently in 2009 when he fired a final round 65 to slip past Jim Furyk and win the event with a 12-under score of 276.
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Woods has always putted well at Muirfield Village and is certainly comfortable making his way around the course.
To begin this year's tournament, he ruined a fine opening-nine with a double bogey on the testy 18th hole, but exhibited nice resolve with two birdies on the front nine, birdying both par-5s—another sign Woods is regaining form.
He finished three-under on the par-5s on Thursday.
Historically, Woods has made a mockery of par-5s on nearly every course he's roamed, and it gave him a distinct advantage. But a horrific one-under showing for the week on the par-5s at this year's Masters highlighted a clear problem with his overall game.
In his opening round, Woods finally emerged victorious in the internal battle with his putter and the par-5s, which should build the confidence of the 72-time PGA Tour winner.
Along with his own overt improvement, he isn't facing an insurmountable margin after the first round. When the second round began, Woods sat four shots back of a handful of players who shot 66 on Thursday.
Right now, only Jonathan Byrd, Rory Sabbatini, Adam Scott and Hunter Mahan have experienced more than one victory on the PGA tour in their careers.
The 2012 Memorial Tournament isn't Tiger's to lose, but after what transpired on Thursday, it's obvious— he'll be in contention on Sunday.
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