Post by estelle on Sept 2, 2013 3:06:51 GMT
The old magic was back, as Tiger Woods produced a near-perfect performance in the second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
And if the elusive 59 – which had seemed within his grasp for so long – eventually evaded him, as a once-hot Titleist Scotty Cameron Buttonback Putter turned slightly cool with that grand prize in sight, the world number one still produced a 61 that moved him into a commanding seven-stroke lead over Keegan Bradley and Chris Wood.
For 13 holes, Woods played perfect callaway x 24 irons. He was nine-under-par and seemingly on course for the one golfing goal that has evaded him in competition: a sub-60 round! He came up short, but it wasn’t for the want of trying as he had birdie putts on the 15th and 17th – which stayed out – before demonstrating his fighting qualities with a par save from trees on the 18th.
“I had it going,” said Woods, who had started with a dynamic run of birdie-eagle-birdie to show his intent. “I could have done it. I’ve done it before (in non-competitive rounds). I felt pretty relaxed out there. I have been in these positions before where I have gone that low and it wasn’t out of the realm of being uncomfortable.”
As it happened, Woods came up short – equalling his low competitive round and also the course record which he set at Akron in 2000 – but, in the bigger picture, established a position of strength in his quest for a fifth win of the season.
Woods, who has won discount golf clubs in this event in his career, started with a three-footer for birdie on the first, rolled in a left-to-right breaking putt from 20 feet for eagle on the second and sank a 12-footer for birdie on the third to lay down his intent from the start.
Even when an errant shot cropped up, like a pulled drive on the sixth which left his ball behind a tree, Woods recovered (punching back out to the fairway and then hitting his approach to 25 feet and holing the par putt).
On the 13th, where another poor drive saw his ball rebound back to the fairway, Woods made the most of his good fortune by hitting his approach to 15 feet and sinking the putt for a fourth straight birdie as he produced a master class.