The fallen world number one missed the cut at last week’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, the third time this year he has failed to go beyond the halfway stage at a Major tournament. “It just shows how fickle this game is, how many ebbs and flows there are to it. I don’t think anyone would have thought this”.
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Former world No1 Woods, who has slumped to 284th in the rankings, has entered the tournament in North Carolina for the first time needing a victory to qualify for the PGA Tour’s lucrative play-offs.
Woods shot a six-under-par 64 for his lowest score since posting a 61 in the second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2013.
Tiger Woods has decided to play the Wyndham Championship – the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season – knowing it’s a case of win or face the end of a miserable campaign.
Woods arrived insisting he was playing better than his recent results might indicate.
Woods is now eager to test his game on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club that puts a premium on strong iron play and features fast, undulating Bermuda grass greens that Woods is trying to quickly figure out.
Woods set the tone by holing a 54-foot chip shot on his first hole, the par-4 10th, for the first of his seven birdies.
Day, who had a tough upbringing, losing his father Alvyn to cancer when he was 12 and turning to alcohol and street gangs before his mother, sister and best mate Swatton came to his rescue, was struggling for words to describe how it felt to have such a special record beside his name.
It was also Woods best score in an opening round in three years, when he carded a 64 on the opening day of the 2012 Deutsche Bank Championship.
Woods’ presence is a win no matter what for the Wyndham.
“I felt very good out there today”.
He said he had “a blast” playing a pro-am round Wednesday with National Basketball Association All-Star Chris Paul, a native of nearby Winston-Salem who starred at Wake Forest. “I could see it going in”.
Ernst needs a big week to make it into the FedEx Cup playoffs. After carding one birdie on the back nine (his front), the 35-year-old Miami native birdied seven of his final nine holes, including a string of four to close out his round.
“My iron play was very solid but it was nice to finally get some [birdie] putts going in”.
“If not then I’ve got a big break and some overseas stuff that I’ve got to do later in the year”.
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Woods said the nature of Day’s win – he held off a challenge from Jordan Spieth, who became the new world number one as a result – made the moment all the more special.
