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| Tiger Woods prepares to start Thursday's opening round at Valhalla. (Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR) |
Despite acknowledging he's a bit out of practice compared to the bulk of this week's PGA Championship competitors, Tiger Woods still holds high expectations for himself.
Starting the 106th PGA Championship with a 1-over 72, Woods had an eventful morning in Louisville, Kentucky. He struggled with errant tee shots but managed to stay near par for most of his round at Valhalla Golf Club. He found his rhythm midway through his back nine, moving into under-par territory before ending with consecutive three-putt bogeys, a disappointing close to his round. Woods is now 10 strokes behind Xander Schauffele, who set a tournament record with a 9-under 62.
The round mirrored his performance at last month's Masters, where he opened with a 1-over 73, an up-and-down effort that brought him near the projected cut line. At the Masters, Woods followed with a second-round 72, making the cut for a record 24th consecutive time. On Friday, he'll aim to secure a spot for the weekend again, hoping for a better start than Thursday's shaky opening three holes.
"It took me probably three holes to get back into competitive flow again and get a feel for hitting the ball out there in competition, adrenaline, temperatures, green speeds," Woods commented after his round. "These are all things that normally I adjust to very quickly, and it just took me a few holes to get into it.
"I am getting stronger for sure ... Each day is a little bit different. Some days, it's better than others. It's just the way it is. My body is just that way. Some days, it feels great, and other days, a bit of a struggle."
Valhalla holds significant memories for Woods, as he won the 2000 PGA Championship here in a dramatic playoff against Bob May, completing the third leg of the "Tiger Slam." Woods secured the 2000 U.S. Open and The Open by a combined 23 shots before May challenged him for 75 holes at Valhalla. Though winning another Wanamaker Trophy this weekend might be a tall order, making the cut in consecutive major championships is well within reach.
"I think that I've made a few cuts in a row, what was it, 140-some odd," Woods remarked Thursday. "So you have to just grind it out. It's a marathon. Major championships are a long grind. It's just plotting along. It's not a sprint. It's just a grind.
"You can't win a tournament unless you make the cut. That's the whole idea is get to the weekend so that you can participate and have a chance to win. I've been on the cut number and have won tournaments, or I've been ahead and leading tournaments and I've won tournaments. But you have to get to the weekend in order to win a golf tournament."
Read below for a hole-by-hole recap of Woods' opening round at the 106th PGA Championship:
1:25 p.m.: Woods finishes his round with back-to-back three-putt bogeys, closing with a 1-over 72. His tee shot on the 411-yard par-4 ninth hole lands in the fairway, but his approach is subpar, leaving him a long birdie attempt. He can't save par and finishes 10 strokes behind leader Xander Schauffele.
1:10 p.m.: On the 169-yard par-3 eighth, Woods hits the front-left of the green, but his birdie putt goes long, resulting in a bogey. He's back to even-par with one hole remaining.
12:55 p.m.: Woods makes a birdie on the par-5 seventh, getting up-and-down from the bunker. For the first time today, he's under par, sitting at 1 under with two holes to go.
12:15 p.m.: Despite striking the ball well, Woods can't capitalize on birdie opportunities on the fourth and fifth holes, settling for pars. He remains at even-par with four holes left, eight strokes behind Schauffele.
11:45 a.m.: Woods birdies the 194-yard par-3 third, returning to even-par. Despite some inconsistent tee shots, his perseverance is evident.
11:30 a.m.: Woods fights for par on the par-4 first and second holes, keeping his round on track at 1-over through 11 holes.
10:55 a.m.: At the 571-yard par-5 18th, Woods' eagle pitch falls short, leading to a par. He turns at 1-over 37, six strokes behind Schauffele.
10:35 a.m.: Woods makes routine and challenging pars on the 16th and 17th holes, respectively. He's 1-over through eight holes.
10:04 a.m.: A missed fairway on the 15th forces Woods to lay up. He can't save par, dropping to 1-over through six.
9:40 a.m.: Woods comfortably two-putts on the 256-yard par-3 14th, staying even-par through five holes.
9:20 a.m.: Woods birdies the 13th, bouncing back to even-par.
9:02 a.m.: Woods saves an impressive par on the 12th with a 15-foot putt after a tough lie in the rough, staying 1-over through three holes.
8:45 a.m.: Woods bogeys the 211-yard par-3 11th after a challenging chip from a bunker, moving to 1-over through two.
8:32 a.m.: Woods begins with a par on the par-5 10th, playing a high flop shot and two-putting.
8:15 a.m.: Woods starts his round on the par-5 10th with a solid drive down the fairway, greeted by enthusiastic fans, and wearing his new Sun Day Red shirt.