Grading Tiger Woods' Round 2 Performance at the 2018 Masters
Tiger Woods avoided the cut at the 2018 Masters Tournament on Friday, but he fell out of realistic contention for the title as a three-over round of 75 dropped him 11 spots on the leaderboard and left him four over par at the midway point.
The four-time Masters champion started with a bogey and failed to get going over the front nine, with a double bogey at the fifth effectively ending any hopes of donning a green jacket on Sunday night at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
After the turn, the cut line was looming, as Woods struggled with his distance control. Birdies at Nos. 13 and 15 saw the veteran move back into a position of comfort and erased fears he'd be packing his bags on Friday.
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Tiger Makes Cut After Tough Round
Woods was sloppy at the first hole, as a stray approach led to a poor chip and an eventual bogey.
The 42-year-old had to scrap early in Round 2, as he holed some two-putts for par and missed a great opportunity for birdie at the third.
While Woods made an excellent up-and-down for par at the fourth, he ran in to trouble at the fifth, when he smashed his approach way long. As Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports 1 noted, things weren't going particularly well:
When the ball was found, it was unplayable, meaning Woods was facing a tough up-and-down for a double bogey. He holed a good putt to achieve that, slumping back to four over.
Woods showed some experience after that torrid hole, putting together back-to-back pars at the next two and giving himself a chance of getting a shot back after a sublime lob approach.
However, Woods' woes continued on the par fives, as he squandered the chance. As ESPN's Michael Eaves noted, some huge opportunities went begging:
The 14-time major winner appeared on course for a dropped shot at the ninth after an errant chip. Woods was able to hole a long par putt, though, and with the projected cut at five over as the American reached the turn, it was a crucial effort.
Another par followed at the tricky 10th and then the 11th. But Amen Corner would yet sting Woods, as his tee shot at the 12th was wet; a bogey followed. As the Tiger Tracker account noted, he wasn't the first experienced player to make the error:
With Patrick Reed storming clear at the top of the leaderboard (finished at nine under), suddenly there was a real fear Woods would miss the cut.
The fightback started at the next hole, as Woods produced a brilliant putt for a tap-in birdie at 13. As Jason Sobel of the Action Network noted, it was long overdue:
After a par at No. 14, Woods was able to give himself some breathing room to the cut line at the 15th, with another birdie moving him back up to three over total.
His issues returned at the 16th. Woods ended up in a tricky position after his tee shot and could only make bogey after three putts. With two to play, composure was required.
He showed it. At the final two holes, Woods knocked excellent approaches into the heart of the green, ensuring there were no concerns about bogeys. A putt at No. 17 sneaked past the cup for par, and after a standing ovation at the last, he had to make do with another par.
Grade: C
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