Snowman in July Leaves Woods Cold

Eight, which is what Tiger Woods shot on the 10th hole Friday at Royal Troon, was more than enough to ruin a fairly nice round at the British Open, but not bad enough to make him miss the cut.

He said he was guilty of nothing more than bad timing.

“It’s just one of those things where I just had a high number at the wrong time,” Woods said.

Woods finished with a three-over 74 that actually included a whiffed shot. His round would appear even less impressive if not for a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

Through 36 holes, Woods’ four-over 146 made the cut by two shots.

But so far, the British Open has not turned out to be a showcase event for Woods. Tigermania may run rampant everywhere else, but not even the huge crowd trampling the weeds along the roped-off fairways have been able to rouse Woods all that much.

Woods said he missed an opportunity.

“If you don’t shoot a good number today, you feel like you didn’t accomplish what you wanted to do,” he said.

Unlike Thursday’s wind-blown first round, conditions Friday were nearly perfect for scoring. Woods played the first nine holes in even par, then showed up at the No. 10 tee, a 438-yard par four.

He hit a three-wood off the tee and knocked the ball into the left rough. He hit an eight-iron over the green and into the rough, right in front of a gorse bush.

He tried to play a shot to the front of the green, but he whiffed a sand wedge, missing the ball entirely when his club caught the bush behind him.

Then Woods hacked the ball out about 18 feet in front of him and to the left, chipped it just short of the front of the green, chipped again to 12 feet and two-putted for an eight.

It was not a good hole, but Woods said he thought there was one to equal it. That would be the par-three No. 5, where he hit a five-iron to about 25 feet left of the hole, ran his putt about five feet past and two-putted from there for bogey.

Because his biggest problems numbered only two holes, Woods took some comfort in that.

“Other than that, I’m playing well,” he said. “I’m hitting the ball well this week. Unfortunately, I just happened to have two bad holes, and you can’t afford to do that in majors, in any tournament as a matter of fact, if you want to win.

“And consequently, it put me 13 shots back.”

Woods had a nine on a hole at the Memorial when he hit two balls in the water, then finished the hole and tossed a ball into the water for good luck.

At Troon, there is no water, just gorse. It isn’t wet like water, but it is much sharper and just as bad a place to be.

Missing the cut isn’t that great a location, either, a fate that Woods has managed to avoid since he turned pro last year.

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Eight Is More than Enough

How Tiger Woods scored an eight on the 438-yard, par-four 10th hole. He had a three-over-par 74 in the second round:

1. Hits three-wood off the tee into the left rough.

2. Hits an eight-iron to the right of the green just short of the heavy rough.

3. Whiffs on a sand wedge.

4. Hacks ball out 18 feet closer but to the left.

5. Chips just short of the front of the green.

6. Chips within 12 feet of pin.

7. 8. Two putts.

Source: Associated Press