Tiger Woods Ends Day 3 in Last Place at 2018 Hero World Challenge

Tiger Woods fired an even-par 72 in the third round of the 2018 Hero World Challenge on Saturday afternoon at Albany Golf Club in New Providence, Bahamas.

Woods, whose two-under start through two days was marred by a triple-bogey in the first round and a double-bogey in the second round, tallied five birdies, three bogeys and another double in Round 3. He stood in last place at two under when he walked off the course with the leaders still playing.

The tournament's five-time champion also hosts the event to benefit his TGR Foundation, which "empower[s] students to pursue their passions through education."

Any hope of a moving-day charge faded almost immediately.

Woods bogeyed the second and doubled the third to fall into last in the 18-player field. His short game caused the early slide with three failed chips on those two holes alone, eliminating the progress he made during his three-under second round.

Though he showed flashes of strong play, highlighted by three birdies in a six-hole stretch starting on No. 6, he made too many mistakes to make up any ground.

The lackluster play continued a trend of ineffectiveness since Woods won the Tour Championship in September.

Tiger posted an 0-4 record in the United States' blowout loss to Europe in the 2018 Ryder Cup and lost to longtime rival Phil Mickelson in Capital One's The Match last weekend.

Before he fell short in the 22-hole head-to-head marathon against Lefty, the 14-time major champion said fatigue was a factor in his poor performance at the Ryder Cup.

"It was just a cumulative effect of the entire season," Woods told reporters in October. "I was tired because I hadn't trained for it. I hadn't trained this entire comeback to play this much golf and on top of that deal with the heat and the fatigue and the loss of weight."

The 42-year-old Stanford product said after the first round of the Hero World Challenge that he's also been playing through some ankle problems.

"I've struggled with my ankles over the last few months. Still the same issues," he said. "They've just been sore for months, just wear and tear."

A break in which Woods can focus on his conditioning and health instead of his swing should be welcome.

That said, he's got one more round to play in the Bahamas, and his mindset will probably be to make sure he doesn't finish at the bottom of the field.

What's Next?

Tiger will attempt to improve his position during the final round Sunday following a solid 2018 PGA Tour season. An extended absence could follow, as the fan favorite told reporters before the tournament his next planned stop is the Genesis Open in mid-February.