Putting wasn’t supposed to be an issue for Tiger Woods thus far on his return to the PGA Tour.
This week at the Wells Fargo it’s been a big issue.
Woods took 31 putts on Thursday on his way to an even par 71 but had an even more difficult time with the flat stick on Friday. He took 33 putts and had to hole a clutch 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to make sure he’d be around for the weekend. He sank that put, raised his arms after making his only birdie of the day.
His 73 left him scratching his head and blaming the greens at Quail Hollow.
“I’ve hit it well enough to be right next to that lead,” he said after his morning round. “And if I can just putt – literally, if I just putt normal, I’m probably 5 or 6 under par. I’ve missed so many putts. Putts I missed yesterday, I was blocking them, trying to hit them the right pace. Today, I was pulling them, trying to hit them harder, try to put more hit in my stroke and release the toe of my putter, and I just wasn’t doing it right today.”
Woods continues to be confused by Quail Hollow’s firm but sometimes slow putting surfaces. Asked about the changes to the golf course, Woods said that it’s proven difficult for him to adjust to renovated layouts over his career.
“I remember a lot of my putts I’ve hit from years ago, sometimes even over a decade ago,” he said. “I can remember putts on certain greens and what they do, tendencies. Especially in practice and at home, I remember the putts I would have to certain pins, going through the golf course in my head. I remember all those. So when they change greens – I putt a lot on memory. I have a pretty decent memory.”
The 36-hole cut moved around late in the day, teetering between two and three over.
Both of Woods playing partners made the weekend. U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka finished two-over while Masters champion Patrick Reed sits at even par.
