PGA Championship | A difficult end of the round hurts Tiger Woods

(Louisville) Tiger Woods estimates that it took him three holes to find the “competitive rhythm” of a golf tournament on Thursday at Valhalla.

It may take more than familiar vibes to keep Woods around for PGA Championship weekend. Like birdies. Maybe a lot of birdies.

The 48-year-old golfer worked hard during the initial round to finally bring back a card of 72, one shot above par, far from the record performance of Xander Schauffele, the provisional leader.

For Woods, it was also the tenth round in a row at one of four majors where he has been unable to play under par, since the 2022 PGA Championship.

The problem this time wasn’t his health or the winding and sometimes hilly layout of the course nestled in Louisville’s eastern suburbs. It was rust.

Woods slammed the ball as far as his playing partners Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott. He got out of trouble a few times. He gave himself a series of birdie chances, particularly on the back nine. He just didn’t achieve enough.

” Not very good “

To make matters worse, his skill left him late. Woods needed three putts from 39 feet on the par-3 eighth hole (his 17^e hole of the day). He suffered an identical fate, this time from a distance of 34 feet, on the ninth hole, a par 4.

“I wasn’t very good,” Woods analyzed.

This is simply the situation Woods finds himself in at this point in his career. The condition of his patched body does not allow him to play very often. When he goes to bed at night, he wonders how he will feel when he wakes up.

“Every day is a little different. Some days are better than others. It’s like that. »

With rain expected on Friday, Valhalla is expected to get a little more challenging. A little longer. A bit more slippery, which isn’t particularly ideal for someone whose right leg has been surgically reconstructed.