Tiger Woods was suffering enough without being afforded front-row viewing as Rory McIlroy raced into the lead at the 104th staging of the US PGA Championship. As McIlroy was rolling back the years – a 65 is the Northern Irishman’s finest start to a major since the 2011 US Open, which he won easily – Woods provided a grim reminder of the scale of his ongoing physical struggles.
Woods, playing in just his second event since his right leg was shattered in a car crash in February last year, actually opened brightly at Southern Hills. He birdied the 10th hole, his 1st, and sat two under par after five. Yet by the time Woods limped heavily towards post-round media duties, he had signed for a 74 and was in obvious pain.
