Hitting the wall
The galleries began to thin out on the way back in - until the players got to the overflowing stands on 17 and 18.
DL III was going badly on the way to worse. He would finish with a 78 and trail the field.
Johnson was hitting the ball forever and playing beautifully.
Tiger was hanging. And then he wasn't.
He needed three shots from just off the green on the 14th, a par 3. He hit three bad shots in a row on the 16th, a par 5. And missed a par putt. Then, in front of a massive crowd, he pulled a 6-iron on 17. It came down the bank into the water.
"I was trying to lean on a 6 and overcooked it," Woods said later.
Tiger knew it when he hit it, leaning out to his left, as if he was trying to pull it back. His next shot was from the drop zone. Double bogey.
He played the back nine much better in Wednesday's pro-am. Yesterday, he played the two par 3's and one par 5 on the back in four over.
"If I keep hitting it like this, I'll be fine," Woods said. "The putts will start going in. It felt good to drive it on a string again."
Woods hit a perfect approach on 18. He had what looked like a reasonably simple short, uphill birdie putt. It lipped out.
Exactly 4 hours and 40 minutes after he began, Tiger Woods was done for the day, three over par, 80 players between him and the lead, setting the stage for a ridiculous comeback or an early exit that was not anticipated and certainly would be not be welcomed by anybody who has yet to see the show.
Send e-mail to jerardd@phillynews.com
