Golf

FOX Sports Exclusive

Tiger keeps his head, hikes his PGA lead

Share This Story

Robert Lusetich

After more than 20 years of covering everything from election campaigns to Olympic Games, Robert Lusetich turned his focus to writing about his first love — golf. He is author of Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season. MORE>>
Updated Aug 26, 2009 7:33 PM ET
     
 

CHASKA, Minn.

He began this wind-blown day with a bogey and for good measure finished with one, too, but such is the power of Tiger Woods that he increased his lead to four shots at the midway point of the 91st PGA Championship. Friday was a salient lesson in what separates Woods from the Lilliputians, to steal a line from golf's court jester, David Feherty. Every player in this field can hit good golf shots, or they wouldn't be here. This is, after all, the deepest field in golf, boasting 98 of the top 100 players in the world. But on afternoons like this, where a hot, blustery wind and bumpy, unpalatable greens made Hazeltine National a much more treacherous prospect, it was Woods who kept his head, hit the shots and made the putts when they were needed and watched as the pretenders fell by the wayside. It may be a familiar storyline, but it's no less gripping in the re-telling. Woods, as always, is the star of the show and you just can't keep your eyes off him. On a day in which he shot a 2-under-par round of 70, not another player who started the second round in the top 16 managed better even par. Why is that so? On the first hole, probably Hazeltine's most penal, Woods failed to get up-and-down for par.
downlevel description
This video requires the Adobe Flash Player. Download a free version of the player.
Suddenly, his one-shot first-round lead over Padraig Harrington had evaporated. For the next three holes, Woods seemed fooled by the wind and wore an ever-worsening look of consternation. For all the world it seemed the wheels would come off his wagon. But he stared down three testing par putts and made them all. Where another could easily have been 4 over par he just won't allow himself to fail; not here, not now and not with the year's last major in his grasp. Woods with a four-shot lead after 36 holes is money in the bank. He's won all eight times in majors where he's held the 36-hole lead and has won his last 12 events after leading at the midway point. He'll probably have better scoring days than Friday but never a more important day. He knows that the ball striking won't be there for four straight rounds, especially at a major and especially in these conditions. He knows how valuable Friday's 70 was in his quest for a 15th major. "Very pleased," an exhausted and hungry Woods said later. "It was pretty blustery. It was changing directions a little bit here and there, it was affecting putts. You had to play the wind on putts. It was all in all just a very difficult day. I had to stay very patient. "I had to kind of grind it out. "I could have easily shot a couple over par today, but I turned it into an under-par round."
What's also astonishing about Friday is that, when Woods made his second bogey of the round — a careless three putt on the benign 10th, set up by a poorly judged short iron — he was tied for the lead and the day looked like it would end very differently. In fact, at one stage or another in the second round, Woods, while never headed, was forced to share the lead with four competitors: Harrington, Spanish bomber Alvaro Quiros, Irishman Graeme McDowall and England's Ross Fisher. They all have tales of woe to tell. After his miscue on 10, Woods drove it so far right on the par-5 11th that he could only advance the ball as far as to leave him 204 yards, into the wind, for his third. He reached the green but sent his birdie effort from 40 feet 6 feet past. He made that and gave a fist pump, his way of acknowledging the importance of the occasion. Woods made another good par save on the difficult 12th, and it seemed to kick him into gear as he neared Hazeltine's easier stretch. Such key par saves are not just good for Woods' constitution but they often seem to magically improve his swing. After a par on 13 came a near eagle on the downwind par-4 14th — where the tee box had been moved up to 299 yards — then a routine two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th. Now, his confidence grown, he played the 16th flawlessly and sent a 20-footer disappearing into the bottom of the cup for a birdie hat trick. After a safe par at 17 came the sort of miscue Woods doesn't often make. A roped 3-wood left him with just a 7-iron on the last, but he pushed it and then compounded the error by scurrying a chip 8 feet past the hole. He missed the putt but Harrington incredulously missed a 3-footer for par and, with Lee Westwood three-putting from about 4 feet on 17 for a scandalous double bogey, Woods lost no ground. During his media conference, Woods was asked whether he'd ever choked at a major. It was, to be sure, a brave question. Woods just sat there and said nothing. "We'll take that to be a 'no'?" asked moderator Kelly Elbin. Woods just shot him a sideways look. He's not going to say it so I will: Not only will we take that to be a 'no' but we'll also take that to mean, 'And I'm not going to be starting here.'

More Stories From Robert Lusetich

World Golf Tour


Trending Now

Stories | Photos | Lists | Videos

GOLF Videos

Lusetich: AT&T Rd. 1 recap Posted: Feb 10, 2012
Robert Lusetich recaps Rd. 1 of the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.

Tiger Woods 13: Legacy mode Posted: Feb 09, 2012
Tiger Woods talks about the new 'legacy mode' in Tiger Woods 13.

Keeping up with Kuchar Posted: Jan 18, 2012
FOXSports.com talks with PGA Tour golfer Matt Kuchar.

MORE FOXSPORTS VIDEO »

Fox Sports Store

    itemName itemURL imageSrc price itemDescription
    Mitchell & Ness Los Angeles Lakers #8 Kobe Bryant Gold Authentic Throwback Basketball Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Los_Angeles_Lakers/browse/featuredproduct/124407/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_124000/FF_124407_xl.jpg&w=100 259.95 Mitchell & Ness Los Angeles Lakers #8 Kobe Bryant Gold Authentic Throwback Baske..
    adidas Milwaukee Bucks #22 Michael Redd White Home Swingman Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Milwaukee_Bucks/browse/featuredproduct/141061/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_141000/FF_141061_xl.jpg&w=100 29.99 adidas Milwaukee Bucks #22 Michael Redd White Home Swingman Jersey
    adidas San Antonio Spurs Black Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_San_Antonio_Spurs/browse/featuredproduct/172441/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_172000/FF_172441_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas San Antonio Spurs Black Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Los Angeles Lakers Purple Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Los_Angeles_Lakers/browse/featuredproduct/172442/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_172000/FF_172442_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Los Angeles Lakers Purple Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Miami Heat Black Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Miami_Heat/browse/featuredproduct/173566/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_173000/FF_173566_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Miami Heat Black Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Boston_Celtics/browse/featuredproduct/173567/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_173000/FF_173567_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Atlanta Hawks #15 Al Horford Navy Blue Road Swingman Basketball Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Atlanta_Hawks/browse/featuredproduct/178055/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_178000/FF_178055_xl.jpg&w=100 49.99 adidas Atlanta Hawks #15 Al Horford Navy Blue Road Swingman Basketball Jersey
    adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo Long Sleeve T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Boston_Celtics/browse/featuredproduct/179331/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_179000/DS_179331_xl.jpg&w=100 19.95 adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo Long Sleeve T-shirt
    adidas Boston Celtics #5 Kevin Garnett Green Road Swingman Basketball Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Boston_Celtics/browse/featuredproduct/182418/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_182000/FF_182418_xl.jpg&w=100 59.99 adidas Boston Celtics #5 Kevin Garnett Green Road Swingman Basketball Jersey
    adidas Denver Nuggets Light Blue Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Denver_Nuggets/browse/featuredproduct/188059/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_188000/DS_188059_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Denver Nuggets Light Blue Primary Logo T-shirt