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A strong closing stretch helped Tiger Woods salvage things during the second round of the Masters
After a fantastic 71 in the opening round, Woods finished with a two-over par 74 on Friday. He heads into the weekend one-over par overall.
Considering where Woods was at after the first five holes, finishing as close to par as he did feels like a huge win. The five-time Masters champion had the worst start to a round in his career at this tournament.
Woods added an extra bogey on the fifth hole to put him at four-over par for the day. It seemed like he was going to struggle just to make the cut at that point.
After making back-to-back pars on holes six and seven, Woods got a shot back with his first birdie on the par-five eighth hole. He set up an easy putt with a fantastic chip shot from just off the green that stopped two feet from the pin.
Woods made par on No. 9 to make the turn at three-over par. His best shot of the day came on No. 10 when he used his iron to hit the ball 208 yards to place the ball three feet from the hole for his second birdie of the round.
The good vibes quickly turned sour for Woods. His par putt on the 11th hole was pushed left, forcing him to settle for bogey.
On the par-three 12th hole, Woods’ first shot hit a bush and rolled into the bunker beyond the green. His shot out of the bunker stopped on the rough before getting on to the short grass. He nearly saved par, but the ball didn’t break enough before rolling past the hole.
Sitting at three-over par going onto No. 13, Woods found his stroke again. The 46-year-old took a conservative approach to the par-five hole. He didn’t get onto the green until his fourth shot, but he left himself with an easy birdie putt to get a shot back.
Woods got a little more aggressive on the next hole. He went for the green in two, got a friendly bounce off the edge of the rough when his ball bounced back toward the hole before stopping nine feet from the cup.
Woods made par on each of his final three holes to go into the weekend with some positive momentum. He told reporters earlier this week he felt like a win was possible.
Friday’s stumbles did make his quest for a sixth green jacket significantly more difficult. Woods is certainly capable of making up ground over the final 36 holes, but just making the cut feels like a win in itself considering this is his first event in 14 months.
Woods is essentially playing with house money right now. The entire crowd at Augusta National will be fully behind him for the final 36 holes. He isn’t going to coast on vibes alone, especially with how quickly he can get hot on this course.
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