Tiger Has Worst Round on Tour


While Tiger Woods carded the highest score of his PGA Tour career and missed the cut by a whopping 12 strokes, Martin Laird moved to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway point of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The $6.3 million event started Thursday at TPC Scottsdale during Super Bowl week in Arizona.

After opening with an erratic 2-over 73 that at one point was 5-over par, Woods stumbled to an 11-over 82 in his first tournament of 2015. On Friday, the 14-time major winner had six bogeys, two double-bogeys, a triple and just two birdies. Starting on the 10th tee, he went out with an 8-over 44 before coming home in 3-over 38.

"I'm just doing this so I don't get fined," Woods quipped to reporters afterwards, mimicking the comments this week by the Seattle Seahawks' media-shy running back Marshawn Lynch.

Woods's problems were generally around the greens, where he had difficulty getting up and down for par on the rain-drenched course. He had to have a good short game as he hit just eight greens in regulation; Woods was successful at making par only two times when he missed the green.

"My attack (angle) was much steeper with (previous coach) Sean (Foley)," said Woods, who finished 36 holes in 13-over 155, way beyond the cut line of 143 and at the very bottom of the leaderboard. "Now I'm very shallow, so that in turn affects the chipping. I'm not bottoming out in the same spot."

"We all have days like this," Woods lamented. "Unfortunately, mine was in a public setting. We take the good with the bad, and the thing is even on bad days like this, just keep fighting, because on the good days you've got to keep fighting, as well."

Added Woods, "I got it better, more committed to what I was doing on my back nine and hit some better shots, but still got a lot of work to do."

It was the worst round of Woods's illustrious career - his previous high mark was an 81 at the 2002 Open Championship. He had a 79 at last year's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and the same score at the 2013 Memorial and 2010 Quail Hollow Championship.

Also missing the cut was tournament favorite and local resident Phil Mickelson, who had rounds of 69 and 76. The three-time Phoenix Open champion had six bogeys and just one bogey Friday.