COMING UP SHORT
Putting, approach shots doom Woods' first round
PINEHURST, N.C. — Off the tee, Tiger Woods looked the part he wanted to look in the first round of the U.S. Open Thursday at Pinehurst No. 2.
He hit 12 of 14 fairways, and his swing looked sound.
But the three-time U.S. Open winner couldn’t take advantage of his strong position off the tee, because he failed to hit enough greens in regulation with approach shots or make enough putts, and he finished with a 4-over-par 74.
Woods was tied for 86th by the end of the day. “I didn’t hit my irons particularly well [and] didn’t putt that great,’’ Woods said. “I drove it on a string all day. Unfortunately, I just didn’t capitalize on it. I didn’t hit the ball very well. It added up to quite a bit of distance away from the flag.
“It’s not where I wanted to be on a lot of the holes. It just ended up being that far away because I wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be.’’
Woods added, “I’m physically getting better as the year has gone on. I just haven’t been able to play as much because I just don’t want to hurt myself pre-[tournament]. Then I won’t be able to play in the major championships. It’s pick your poison, right? Play a lot with the potential of not playing, or not playing and fight being not as sharp.’’
Woods began the round strong with a birdie on the 10th hole, his first of the day. He cruised for a bit from there before going on a bogey skid, beginning on Nos. 16 and 17, two holes that put him 1-over par for the day.
His round got no better after he turned to the front nine, with bogeys on Nos. 1, 2 and 4, and suddenly his score had leaked to 4-over.
Woods got one back on the par-5 fifth hole with a birdie to get to 3-over, but he gave it back with a bogey on the eighth hole.
Woods’ biggest issue was his second-shot accuracy, as he hit only nine of 18 greens in regulation. He, too, took 32 putts in the round, failing to get up and down from some manageable distances on several holes.
“My speed was not quite there,’’ Woods said of his putting. “I think I three-putted two or three times today. If I clean that up, if I get a couple iron shots not as loose as I did, I’m right there at even par.’’
Now he knows he’s left himself precariously too far back after one round and in jeopardy of missing the cut.
“It’s just so hard to get back,’’ Woods said of making up strokes. “This is a golf course that doesn’t give up a whole lot of birdies. It gives up a lot of bogeys and higher. I thought I did the one thing I needed to do today, which is drive the ball well. I did that, I just didn’t capitalize on any of it.’’