Projecting Tiger Woods' Day 3 Score at 2013 British Open

Tiger Woods has gotten off to a great start at the Open Championship, but the key will be for him to keep it up in the next two rounds.

After an impressive 69 in Round 1, the superstar followed that up with a solid 71 on a day where many other players on the leaderboard struggled. He had three birdies and three bogeys to finish with an even par, thanks in large part to some great putting, as noted by ESPN's Rick Reilly:

With the exception of one missed tap-in where he seemed to simply lose focus, he has been solid on the greens, and he remains in contention at two strokes under par.

Here is an updated look at the leaderboard, as Woods attempts to stick around throughout the week:

If he can play as well as he has in the first two days, there is no doubt that he will be around with a chance to win the title on Sunday. However, he has struggled to maintain his strong play going into the weekend at majors recently.

ESPN Stats and Information provides a look at the difference between the first half of tournaments and the second half:

Here is a full breakdown of his majors by round since the start of 2012:

As you can see, Woods has struggled to match his production in the later rounds. The difference between his second and third rounds has been the worst part—jumping a combined 11 strokes from Friday to Saturday and having a worse score in four of six tournaments.

Until he proves otherwise, it is safe to assume that this type of pattern will continue at Muirfield.

The good news, however, is that his putting will likely prevent too poor of a result. Woods ranks fourth on tour in strokes gained on the green, and that skill has carried over into this tournament so far.

Therefore, he will likely keep his score low, even if he fails to get greens in regulation with any consistency. His ability to get onto the green quickly on par-five holes also will help him get birdies.

The key for him in Round 3 will simply be to stay consistent. If he can get fairways and greens, his putting will carry him far. Unfortunately, recent history indicates that getting to that point could end up being a problem at majors.

There will likely be a drop in his score compared to the first couple of days, but it will likely not be too severe. After shooting a 69 and 71 in consecutive rounds to start the tournament, look for Woods to finish a couple of strokes over par in Round 3.

Based on his success on the back-nine this week, he should finish with a 38 out and 35 in to give him a 73 for the round. 

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