Tied for sixth at 7-under 137 are Martin Flores (67 on North), Michael Kim (68, South) and Australia’s Jason Day (64, North).
Advertisement
Playing for the first time since recovering from a fourth back surgery that cost him another year on the PGA Tour, Woods was mostly steady, sometimes spectacular and ended his day with an even-par 72 that left him seven shots behind Tony Finau.
American Ryan Palmer also made the playoff at 10-under par but dropped out when he could only make par at the first playoff hole, the par-five 18 hole at Torrey, while Day and Noren both made birdies.
He was in the right rough off the tee and his second shot left him on the edge of the green, 75 feet from the pin.
Noren reached the green in two, leaving himself some 40 feet. He laid up in the rough and didn’t come close to holing the shot. Noren’s longish eagle putt to win slides past, and Day makes birdie from just beyond a metre.
“Alex is playing some tremendous golf”, Day said in a post-round television interview. “You could barely see the yellow”.
“I tried as hard as I possibly could out there”.
“See if I can shoot something in the 60s”, he said with a smile, “but make it a little bit easier on myself than today”.
– Luke Donald (@LukeDonald)Last group was over a hole behind, we can all blame JB.and yes the player should take responsibility for their pace of play, but if they don’t that’s why we have Tour officials – they needed to step in a while ago IMO. He is a nine-time victor on the European Tour, including the flagship BMW PGA Championship, and he cracked the top 10 in the world when he won four times in 2016.
The Swede held a one-shot overnight lead.
“It was gross”, Woods said after his round, which included four birdies and two bogeys.
Day’s four birdies were all on the front nine.
Earlier in the day, Tiger Woods recorded his best finish in a full-field PGA Tour event since August 2015, carding four birdies and four bogeys in a closing 72 for a three under par total.
Palmer hit a handsome approach within tap-in range to get to 10 under before bowing out after a par on the opening hole of the playoff. “So going forward, I’m not saying health isn’t going to be an issue, but it certainly looks better than it has”.
“I got a lot out of my rounds”.
Henderson shot an even-par 73 to get to 5 under overall after two rounds and three days at the Ocean Club Golf Course in the event cut to 54 holes after wind wiped out play most of Friday.
Day said he didn’t care how many more holes it takes if he can end his victory drought.
Advertisement
“We both played some pretty good golf, especially down 18 going back and forth, back and forth, which is good entertainment for the fans”. “Some of my go-to shots aren’t there”.
