Tiger Roars Back at the Buick Open with a Fierce 63

So after a missed cut at the Open at Turnberry and an opening 71 at the Buick Open, you think Tiger is just like us?

NOT!

Tiger came roaring back with a fierce 63 to get back into contention at the Buick Open.

Starting on the 10th tee early in the morning, the 33-year-old golfing phenom began birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie, which placed him a nice six-under after only five holes.

"Today, I hit my irons a little closer and I made some putts. Even though I three-putted 18 and missed a few out there, I also made a bunch, too."

Did the world's best player do anything different after finishing late yesterday?

"No. The same. Absolutely the same. Same routine, didn't change anything. Just made sure I was committed to what I was doing out there today, and I got my speed a little bit better."

He did decide not to practice after yesterday's "sub par" round of 71, with respect to performance, not the par 72 at Warwick Hills CC.  

"I normally do, but I was a little bit hot yesterday, so I decided to just go home and get away from it for a little bit. And came out today with a better understanding of what I was going to do and just hit the ball."

What is the strategy of a champion who spots the field one round, the first round?

"I was so far back, but I had three more rounds to go."

"It's not one of those sports where you just go ahead and hit as hard as you want. You got to keep your patience, and as I said, take care of the par-fives, the two drivable par-fours and sprinkle on a couple here and there, and there's your round in the mid 60s. And I happened to make a couple more beyond that, and here we are at 63."

"It's a process. I can't get it back in one round. At least I'm back in the tournament."

"This golf course is playing soft and easy, you should birdie every hole, but you also can make a few mistakes, like I did yesterday. If I shot that number again today, I'm out of here."

Don't say that to John Daly in the locker room though. He followed a Thursday 76 with a Friday 88. Yes, that is correct, he had a 16-over par 88.

Take a break John, you can't play every week. You need a rest. Three European Tour events, the Open at Turnberry, the Canadian Open, and this week's Buick Open—that's six weeks straight. Your body is out of gas.

Tiger was not exiting after two rounds, two tournaments in a row.

With another birdie on No. 16, Tiger was seven-under after seven holes.

Was he thinking a 13-under par 59 was possible?

"(I) just keep playing shot to shot. It (his routine) doesn't change. It's how you got there in the first place, so why would you change?"

With only three birdies on his last nine holes, Woods fell four strokes shy of that magical number "59."

All he needed was a two-putt on No. 18 and three more birdies out of the other eight holes and he would have joined Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, and David Duval in the "59 club."

What a difference a day makes. Four birdies and three bogeys on Thursday then an eagle, eight birdies, and a bogey on Friday.

As word got around the course that Tiger was hot, his gallery began to grow. Hot as in his playing performance, not hot under the collar, like yesterday.

Okay, it is time to name Tiger's gallery. Arnie had his army, Jack his pack. Tiger's fans like to surge. Tiger's Tide? No, it has to be something with a Tiger's roar in it. Tiger's Torrent Tide. No, thunder?

Tiger's Torrent Troops—that's it!

"You could feel more people coming out. I didn't think people were going to get up that early and watch us tee off, but it was nice to have everyone excited. And I was playing well and making a little bit of a run, and I think that everyone got a little bit excited about that."

What excitement will the weekend bring?

What will the winning score be?

Tiger has an opinion and a new mantra:

"If the wind doesn't blow, you'll have to get into the (low) 20s (under par)."

"If the wind doesn't blow, you have to go low."

So far in the afternoon pairings only John Senden is going really low today at five-under through 11 holes. He is leading the tournament at 13-under par, only three strokes ahead of Tiger Woods, who is resting comfortably for a late tee time on Saturday.

Give the Tiger a 24-hour break and you just might see that magical 59 tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]