8:02 am | February 16, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods rolled in a 24-foot birdie putt on his final hole Saturday morning to turn a certain missed cut at the Genesis Open into what appears to be two more rounds at Riviera Country Club.
Woods’ birdie meant he completed 36 holes at 141, 1-under par and was in a tie for 55th place while half of the 144-player field was still playing the second round that was suspended Friday due to darkness.
The top 70 and ties make the cut, and Woods sounded confident that he would be around for the rest of a tournament that has given him fits over the years. And he was happy about it, despite trailing leaders Justin Thomas and Adam Scott by 10 shots.
“You saw what I did last year, I missed the cut here and I had to add an event,” he said. “I know that 1 (under) is going to get in, even par will be back and forth all afternoon. So I’m playing the weekend and I get two more rounds to kind of get after it.”
Woods can use the work, especially on the greens. At both tournaments he has played this year, the 80-time PGA Tour winner has lamented his poor putting, although for different reasons.
At Torrey Pines three weeks ago, where a final-round 67 helped him finish in a tie for 20th, Woods said he wasn’t reading putts well.
“It’s different,” he said. “I am not seeing the line, I’m not feeling comfortable because I’m not seeing the line. Consequently, I’m having a hard time starting my ball online because I have a hard time seeing it. Hopefully I can find it in here in the last couple rounds.
“Can’t get any worse than it was the first day; four 3-putts is as bad as a human being can putt.”
After hitting 17 of 18 greens in the first round, Woods hit just 8 in the second round and had to play six holes Saturday morning, with the starting temperature at 46 degrees. He immediately bogeyed his first hole, the par-3 fourth, and then hung on until he got the birdie putt at the ninth to drop.
At the time he finished, Woods ranked 101st in the field in strokes gained, putting. After needing 34 in the first round, he took 27 in the second, making an eagle, three birdies and five bogeys.
Woods, who serves as tournament host with his TGR Foundation running the event, has had an odd history at Riviera, the course closest to his boyhood Southern California home. In 11 previous appearances here, two as an amateur, he has no victories, three missed cuts and four top-10s. Along with one year when the tournament went to Valencia Country Club, Woods has played this event the most of any in his career without a victory.
He was trying to avoid the 20th missed cut of his professional career worldwide, and 19th on the PGA Tour. Woods, who has not missed a cut since the U.S. Open, has missed 15 of his 19 PGA Tour cuts starting in 2010 and missed two in 2018.
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