Wasn’t the start Tiger Woods was hoping for at the Zozo Championship but he finished up with the round he wanted.
Maybe it was a three-hole rust-removal project but Tiger flipped the script quickly Thursday at the Accordia Golf Narashino.”
“I hadn’t hit a good shot,” was how Woods described his play over the first three holes where he went bogey-bogey-bogey. His day began on the back nine.
“I was able to flip the round,” he added as he played his final 15 holes nine-under par.
“I was trying to get back to even and did one better,” was how he described his first nine holes. “I just tried to hang in there. My putter felt good and I rolled it nicely. I was hitting my irons well.”
Tiger’s iron play was the strength of his round as he hit 15 of 18 green yet found just six fairways. His 27 putts helped make his day as well.
By days end he shared the lead with Gary Woodland but all eyes were on Woods with whispers of 82 in Japanese.
Things could start to deteriorate on Friday. Typhoon Bualoi is threatening the region and is expected to impact the tournament. Could create a tough schedule for the weekend but with the small field, there’s no 36-hole cut.
Not every big name fared well. Rory McIlroy stumbled his way to 72 as did Patrick Reed and Tony Finau. Jordan Spieth really struggled with a not-so-hot 74.
