Tiger Woods’ hopes of winning on his long-awaited return may be fading, but the 15-time Major winner showed more encouraging signs during the second round of the Hero World Challenge in The Bahamas.
Starting the day on three-over par following a rusty back nine on Thursday, Woods was fast out of the gates with birdies at the opening two holes.
He made further gains at the 6th and 7th to make the turn in four under (32), before making a series of unforced errors on the back nine, not unlike the opening round.
The mistakes came on 13 and 15, and looked to be more mental errors than anything else.
First came a missed putt from short range on 13, and that was followed by the very rare sight of Woods putting into a bunker on the par-5 15th, where he had to hole from 15 foot to limit the damage to a bogey.
However, a lengthy putt did finally drop on the 17th to bring a smile back to the 82-time PGA Tour winner’s face.
“Cleaned up a little bit from yesterday for sure,” Woods said after his round.
Asked for his opinion on why he struggled on the back nine for the second day running, Woods was quick to reply.
“Maybe because I haven’t played for a while,” he responded, adding that he felt he displayed “better commitment” during round two.
The more encouraging signs for Woods and his fans was the way he drove the ball and the apparent ease with which he walked the course.
Woods is playing just his eighth tournament since he was involved in a car crash in February 2021, and he admitted that he was “rusty”.
Once the five-time winner of the Hero World Challenge had signed for a second-round 70, the leaders set about increasing their advantage going into the weekend.
And there were several of those, with Tony Finau, Brian Harman, Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth all enjoying the lead at some point during the second round.
World number one Scheffler (66) made eight birdies and looked set to take the lead on his own into final two days, before dropping a shot on the 18th.
However, with the 2022 Masters champion looking more assured once again on the greens, he’ll be the one to beat on the weekend.
Scheffler has been working with putting coach Phil Kenyon since the fall, and said after his round that he had “a much clearer picture” of things on the putting surfaces.
Spieth, meanwhile, was equally impressive on Friday afternoon, posting 67 to share the 36-hole lead with fellow previous Masters champion Scheffler.
Hero World Challenge scores:
- -9 Scheffler, Spieth
- -8 Harman
- -7 Thomas
- -6 Fitzpatrick, Morikawa, Finau
Tiger Woods score
- Round 2: -2 thru 18 (70)
- Tournament: +1
Updates from...
WOODS PIPES IT OFF THE 1st
Woods is off and running with a 290 yarder down the middle of the first to leave him 138 in.
His wedge settles within 6ft and we've got an opening birdie putt coming up!
WOODS IN GREEN TODAY
BIRDIE AT THE 1st!
Woods converts from 6ft and he's under par straight away. Back to +2 for the tournament.
WOODS' APPROACH TO THE 1st
Birdie start for Woods on day 2! pic.twitter.com/JxUoSpaf9kDecember 1, 2023
WHAT A START!
From 178 yards on the par 3 2nd hole he's stuffed it to within 5ft.
Could be a birdie-birdie start here.
WOODS' BIRDIE PUTT ON 1
Birdie on 1 for @TigerWoods. https://t.co/XH06b9CkBj pic.twitter.com/pbYgDK4DzJDecember 1, 2023
BIRDIE-BIRDIE
What a start from Tiger! He's two-under after two holes and back to +1.
Great start from TW
Can Tiger capitalise on his fast start with another birdie (or better) on the par-5 3rd?He has 220 yards to go for his second.
JUST A PAR...
A missed 10-footer for birdie on the par-5 3rd there. Don't worry, we're not about to start with all the, 'In his prime, he'd have sunk that' stuff....However, in his prime he never missed a putt. Not one.
ON THE MOVE
Justin Rose (-2 through 2, -2 overall); Rickie Fowler (-3 through 3, -1 overall). And good to see another comeback man Will Zalatoris start well (-2 through 4, +7 overall). Leaders at -5.
LEFT FAIRWAY AT 4
287 yards to the left fairway, leaves a long one into the 4th, some 196 yards.
TIGER ROLLING THE ROCK
Admit it, you never thought yo'd see this again...
Birdie on 1 for @TigerWoods. https://t.co/XH06b9CkBj pic.twitter.com/pbYgDK4DzJDecember 1, 2023
HOW TO WATCH THE HERO WORLD CHALLENGE
In case you're wondering when you can tune in to watch Tiger & co in the Bahamas, here's how to watch the Hero World Challenge.
SAFELY ABOARD ON 4
Tough hole is 4, but TW is safely aboard the green facing a 23-footer for birdie.
POSITIVE SIGNS FOR ZALATORIS FANS
We've waited a long time to see young William Zalatoris back in action. After a tough time yesterday, he's come out firing. He's now -3 through 5 and back to +6.
looks good, right?
Dialed in early 🎯@TigerWoods starts his second round with a nice approach on No. 1. pic.twitter.com/VdxDQl7L2WDecember 1, 2023
TW PAR AT 5
A tidy enough two-putt par at 5 for Woods. He remains -2 and +1 overall. He's playing with Rickie Fowler today who is also going along nicely. Hopefully these two quality ball strikers can feed off one another and climb that leaderboard.
BIG DRIVE ON PAR-5 6TH
Plenty of good signs early on in the second round for Woods, who has just sent another drive down the fairway - this one measuring 307 yards, which leaves him about 280 to go.
UP-AND-DOWN FOR BIRDIE?
Tiger Woods finds the sand, which is easy to do here in The Bahamas, and has one of those lengthy bunker shots for his third - the type amateurs call hard but pros make look easy. Let's see what Tiger has for us...
TIGER WITH 5FT FOR BIRDIE...
It was a wonderful third shot from the bunker. He needed that to build on that fast start. Woods is now back to even par for the tournament. Nicely done. Exactly how he would have hoped to start the day.
Elsewhere...
Because there are, you know, a few other decent players here. Justin Thomas has started beautifully (-4) with two birdies in his first two holes. Matt Fitzpatrick moves to within two of the lead, with a birdie on the 2nd. Leaders at -5. Not long now until everyone is out on the course.
GREENSIDE BUNKER
TW has a slash at that one and finds the front left greenside bunker, some 55ft from the hole. Something similar to the last hole required for birdie...
TIGER ON HIS BIKE
A lot of talk about Tiger Woods and all his injuries lately, but he looked to be in no trouble at all as he arrived on his motorbike earlier with his bag across his back.
WE'RE UNDER PAR
What a second shot that was. Something tells me Tiger's been hitting balls in his backyard. Another peach of a long bunker shot sets up a birdie putt from 4ft - which he sinks. We're under par, -4 for the day through 7 and -1 overall. Old Tiger stats.
TROUBLE ON 8
Work to do for Woods on the par-3 8th - 8 foot for par. The word 'momentum' comes to mind.
LIVE COVERAGE
You can watch Tiger Woods' comeback at the Hero World Challenge. We have five players in the lead at -5.
GREAT SAVE
Tiger Woods rolls in an 8-footer for par on 8 - right in the center. He's four shots back. There are going to be some low ones out there today. Five par 5s on the course, drivable par 4s. Just depends on the wind as to how low these 20 players can go. A day when bogeys will feel like doubles.
GREAT DRIVE ON 9
A low one from Tiger Woods on the 9th, just the 347 yards. He'll be eyeing up another birdie here. The question is, will fatigue play any part today? He looks to be moving nice and freely at present.
FINAU TO -6
New leader, it's Big Tone. The laid back American gets to -6 with a birdie on the 1st.
WOODS IN GOOD SHAPE
The good run could continue courtesy of two very good shots into the par-5 9th. He's just through the green with room to work with. Lovely low cut there to chase it up, just runs through.
A rare blemish
Comes out softly, no tap-in birdie as expected. We'll have some work to do....
HOT TO RETAKE THE LEAD
By Tony Finau...
A chip-in birdie to take the lead 💪@TonyFinauGolf is out front at the Hero World Challenge. pic.twitter.com/mLrU0yEVJGDecember 1, 2023
TIGER OUT IN 32 (-4)
Tiger rams in the par putt after running his birdie effort 3 feet by. He was odds on for another birdie there, but that's still a very tidy outward nice for the 15-time Major champion.
trouble on 10 for tiger
A tough tee shot back into the breeze and Tiger looks to be in a bit of trouble, maybe the lip of the bunker. Not an easy hole, just fails to carry that trap and it could lead to his first bogey of the day. We shall see...
good break on 10
Not the best of stances, but Tiger has somehow not rolled into the fairway trap on 10. Three-quarter swing and he finds the front of the green. Nicely done. Outside chance of a birdie.
TROUBLE FOR FINAU
Our leader lost his tee shot on the 3rd, and we're going to see some changes at the top of the leaderboard. He's now played four and he's not on the green. Fitzpatrick will probably have a chance to lead with a nice approach on 6.
TIGER WALKING WELL
The best news is that Tiger Woods is walking with more of a spring in his step, no hobbling at this stage. Good speed with his lag putt on 10. That will be a par.
DOUBLE FOR FINAU
Now Tony Finau is a pretty laid back guy, but the blood pressure will surely have gone up after that mess on the 3rd. He was leading at -6, but he's just made a seven there, a good seven at that. All came after losing his opening shot. Makes a 15-footer for double. Hats off. Gritty.
FAIRWAY ON 11 FOR TW
Another great swing on 11 and Woods continues to impress. The tempo looks fantastic. He's flushing it.
JASON DAY ON THE MOVE
Four birdies in a row for the Aussie, and he's just one shot back. Nice to see Day rolling the ball sweetly on the green. The former world number one in decent shape at -5.
WOODS SHORT ON 11
Maybe a bit of wind trouble there, but Woods is facing a tricky little up-and-down on the 11th. We say tricky, but Woods will probably fancy it.
STRIPE SHOW
The story of the day so far: Tiger Woods striping it.
NICE SAVE
Paul McGinley likes that one. A bladey type of chip from Woods, who gets it up-and-down for par on 11. Opts not to go the aerial route. Top marks for creativity. We don't see enough of that in the modern game, but that's a topic for another day.
TIGER FINDS GREEN ON 12
Par-3 12th. Looks a peach of a hole, albeit a dangerous one. Woods flushes that, keeping it down underneath the wind, whilst Matt Fitzpatrick misses a good opportunity to take the solo lead on 7. Another big positive for Woods who doesn't seem to have lost his ability to see the shot he needs. He's executing them, too.
SWEARY SPIETH
Very high standards. Spieth is not happy with that one on 6. Blame the caddie, who's new. His normal looper is having a well-deserved week off.
FITZ TO -7
England's Matt Fitzpatrick looking ominous with that flat stick, rolls in another one to take the solo lead - he's -5 through 8 and -7 overall.
THOMAS JOINS FITZ AT TOP
That kind of day, lots of changes. JT is looking very good right now. Meanwhile, Woods drops his first shot of the day at 13, back to even par with a missed three-footer there. That'll wind him up.
WOODS NOW 7 BACK
Despite the promising signs - and they are very promising - Woods is a distant seven back right now. Needs a strong final five holes. Drivable 14th next up... leaves it down in the dip, so he's going to need his best touch to get that up-and-down, playing up a steep bank. Not beyond his capabilities, by any means.
DELICATE FROM WOODS
Back to 14 and Woods nips one off cleanly to set up a birdie chance, about 8 feet or so. He could do with sinking that one for an immediate bounce-back following the sloppy bogey on 13.
BIRDIE FOR WOODS
Pulls it. Back-to-back holes where Woods has failed to convert inside 10 feet. Not unexpected. Would be a shame if he can't finish off what has been a good round so far. A few signs of rust on the greens in the last 20 minutes.
SCRAPPY FROM WOODS
Woods in a bit of danger of letting today's good work slip away. A loose shot there on the par-5 15th into the sand. Still a chance he can get that up and down for his birdie, which would bring a smile back to his face.
OH DEAR!
Is that rust? Not so sure. Makes a mess of his bunker shot and then putts into the bunker.... not a good number coming here on what is a very scoreable part of the course.
GOOD BOGEY?
Woods limits the damage to a bogey with a gritty 15 footer for a 6. Scratching my head. When did Tiger last putt into a bunker?
CHANGES AT THE TOP
Spieth leads. Remember him? Decent player. He's -3 for the day and -7 overall. Thomas is back to -6 after a rollercoaster on the 11th.
TIGER SLIPPING
Not literally, but he's throwing shots away here a bit like yesterday. Back-to-back bogeys. He's now on the 17th green. And sinks a bomb! Back to +1.
ZALATORIS WITH A NEW PUTTER
Misses a putt for a 67 a day after he shot 81. A 13-shot turnaround for the man making his comeback. That looked a lot better. Fingers crossed the American enjoys a healthy 2024. If he does, he's going to win things, that's for sure. Still not sure about that putting technique, but who am I to criticise someone who has finished runner-up in three of the four Major Championships.
TIGER WITH POOR FINAL APPROACH
From the first cut. 172 yards. Hand off the club and he just manages to avoid bouncing into the water. Wasn't the best of lies, not easy to control from there. Needs to get up and down for par, and I've got a feeling he's going to treat us to one final good chip of the day.
BEAUTY FROM TIGER
The short game looks good, as does the long game. That's an excellent chip and he taps in for a 70. Just those uncharacteristic mistakes.
TIGER CARDS 70
It promised to be so much better at one stage, but just a 70. A lot of good shots in there, but some uncharacteristic mistakes, too. You have to expect that after seven months out. This is also just his eight tournament since he was involved in that awful car crash in February 2021.
"I'M RUSTY"
Well, yeah. Asked the question as to why he seemed to be struggling to close out rounds, Woods responds: "Maybe because i haven't played in a while." You tell 'em, Tiger.
TIDY SHORT-GAME SKILLS
Don't try this at home. pic.twitter.com/IJBssWs7YWDecember 1, 2023
Matt Fitzpatrick showing off and making himself unpopular with the greenkeepers.
THREE AT THE TOP
Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth now share the lead at -7. I fancy -10 might be leading this by the end of the day.
MAKE THAT 4
Thomas, Fitz, Scottie and Spieth are having some kind of shootout here. All well into the back nine. -7 leads.
THE CREAM HAS RISEN TO THE TOP
Scheffler gets it to -8 through 14. Fitzpatrick almost jumps past him with a 360-degree lip out. Still, he's -6 for his round and he shares the lead with the American.
BUNKER TROUBLE FOR JT
What a horrid lie. JT buried greenside on 16 but plays a fantastic shot, chopping down and popping it out to about 5 feet. Very good. Cleans up to stay at -7.
ACE ALERT
Glover with an ace on 17. The former US Open champion has a one and an eight on his card. Can't imagine how much a round of beers at this place costs, but I'm sure he can afford it.
DOUBLE FOR FITZPATRICK
Didn't see that one coming. Tee shot into the scrub to blame and the Englishman drops back to -6. Scheffler, meanwhile, gets it to -9 and he still has three holes to play. No one will want to see Scottie heading into the weekend with shots to play with. Sound the Scottie Scheffler alarm. When he's hot, he's hot. He might be extending that lead soon.
SPIETH TO -9
Scheffler and Spieth lead at -9, the latter seeing his fourth eagle attempt of the day coming up inches short.
HERE'S THAT ACE
🚨 Hole-in-one! 🚨Lucas Glover hops it in for an ace at No. 17. pic.twitter.com/p1ZJZvsLYdDecember 1, 2023
I like to think Lucas Glover will be receiving a huge bar bill for this effort, so big it wipes out most of his obscene earnings in 2023.
SCOTTIE BEING SCOTTIE
-10. -7 for the day, this is more the Scottie we've been used to seeing over the last couple of years. Is that work he's doing with putting coach Phil Kenyon paying off already?
LAST TEE SHOT FOR THE LEADER
Scheffler finds the sandy area down the 18th, but it might have bounced out of it. The world number one would take a par here, then he can put his feet up and buy Phil Kenyon a drink. It's an early call, but I'm saying Scheffler wins at least two Majors next year - not the Masters, Tiger wins that by seven.
TROUBLE FOR SCOTTIE ON 18
Greenside bunker on 18. He's facing water, too, which pros don't seem to get too fazed by. Lie isn't great. How's your feel, Scottie? 8/10. Lovely splash shot, but he still has about 6-8 feet for par on 18. On 17, Spieth grazes the edge of the hole, good chance gone there after a beautiful tee shot.
DAY 2 COMING TO AN END
The second round is coming to a conclusion. Scheffler shoots a 66, with his par effort on 18 missing right. Meanwhile, Cameron Young with the drive of the day, using the TV tent/tower/building/thing to good effect. It's a fairway found on 18, when it was really 30 yards wide. At least.
SPIETH FOR THE OUTRIGHT...
How has that not dropped? A 67 for Spieth. That was clinical from the three-time Major champion today.
SCHEFFLER ON HIS PUTTING
"I have much more of a clearer picture." That could spell trouble for his rivals in 2024.
HARMAN IN THE MIX
The final few words of the day for The Open champion, Brian Harman. He's just one shot back after playing the last five holes in five under. Join us again tomorrow for what promises to be a fantastic weekend in The Bahamas.
