Tiger Woods 4-Under in Saturday Front 9, Climbs PGA Championship Leaderboard

Tiger Woods surged up the 2018 PGA Championship leaderboard after opening the third round with a four-under 31 on his front nine.

At the time of publication, Woods is at eight under for the tournament and two shots back of co-leaders Gary Woodland and Brooks Koepka.

Woods opened his round with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes. He lost a stroke with a bogey on No. 5 but responded with three straight birdies before closing out his front nine with a par.

Nothing in golf provides the same kind of thrill as seeing Woods challenging for a title, especially at a major tournament. Plenty of fans were happy to see the 14-time major champion become a genuine challenger at Bellerive Country Club in Town and Country, Missouri:

That reaction was shared among those in the gallery as well. His birdie putt on the eighth hole elicited a loud cheer from the assembled crowd:

Putting was a clear strength for Woods on the front nine. According to PGATour.com, he averaged 1.429 putts per green in regulation, which would be his best round of the tournament if it holds for the back nine.

Woods' iron play helped him out on the green. His tee shot on the par-three sixth landed 11 feet from the hole, setting up a more than makeable birdie putt:

This is the second straight day Woods carded a 31 on the front nine. However, he'll be looking to improve upon his second-round performance, when he was even par over the back nine to stay at four under.

Even if he fizzles over the remainder of Saturday's play, a 15th major title would remain in reach for Woods as long as he can stay within two or three shots of the PGA Championship leader.