Tiger Woods had not opened a major championship with a round in the 60s since 2014, when he started The Open with a 69 at Royal Liverpool. On Thursday, in the first round of the PGA Championship, it didn’t look as if this was going to be the day he broke the streak.
During one stretch, he missed five consecutive fairways. And the rough at TPC Harding Park is thick enough to cause problems. Yet there was Woods, finding ways to salvage pars and sneak in a few birdies. A round that could have easily been 74 or 75 turned into 2-under 68. So instead of being a nonfactor, Woods is in the mix after his opening round.
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His day started on the 10th hole. Here’s how it all went down:
No. 10: Par 5, 562 Yards
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Tiger Woods opens with birdie … but it was an adventure. Drive misses fairway left. Tries to drill 3-wood, misses way, way right. Then he flips a wedge to 10 feet and makes the putt. Hey, it doesn’t have be pretty if it all adds up to a 4 on a par 5.
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 11: Par 3, 200 Yards
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While No. 10, Tiger Woods’ first hole of the day, was a thrill ride, he eased his way to a ho-hum par at the 11th. Tee shot to 20 feet, two putts, par 3.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 12: Par 4, 494 Yards
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Pars are good, especially when you see playing partners Rory McIlroy and world No. 1 Justin Thomas hacking around in the rough and making bogeys at the 12th. But Tiger Woods wasted a great opportunity for birdie after a perfect drive and perfect approach with a no-so-perfect birdie putt.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 13: Par 4, 472 Yards
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Sometimes things in golf balance themselves. Tiger Woods misses from inside 10 feet for birdie at the 12th, then rolls one in from 33 feet at the 13th. Yeah, golf can be funny like that. Or maddening. You decide. But through four holes, Woods looks confident in his body and game.
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 2 under
No. 14: Par 4, 470 Yards
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You don’t see that too often. Tiger Woods started walking after his 6-footer to save par. That means he knows he made it. Except, well, he didn’t. He mumbled his way off the green. First hiccup of the day and first dropped shot at the 14th.
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 15: Par 4, 401 Yards
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Tiger Woods’ second shot into the 15th green from 115 yards with wedge in his hand was — there’s no other way to put this, it was awful — leaving him with a mile-long birdie putt. He navigates the two-putt par to avoid a bogey that would have really annoyed him.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 16: Par 4, 336 Yards
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The 16th is not a daunting hole. In fact, it’s the shortest par 4 on the inward side of TPC Harding Park. Yet, a misjudged tee shot and an atrocious play from the bunker forced Tiger into scramble mode. He saved par, but that was more work than it should have been.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 17: Par 3, 171 Yards
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A drama-free par 3 at the 17th for Tiger Woods. He needed that after some interesting moments the past few holes.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 18: Par 4, 480 Yards
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Tiger Woods steals one at his final hole of his first side. A wide-left drive left him a buried lie, one so bad he had no chance of reaching the green from just 140 yards. A gouge and a chip left him 40 feet for par. And he rolled it in to post 1-under 35 over his first nine holes of this PGA Championship.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 1: Par 4, 393 Yards
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Tiger Woods keeps missing fairways, but he’s largely avoided it costing him shots. He misses again at No. 1, his 10th hole of the day, but navigates another par despite the mistake off the tee. He’s 1 under, even if it doesn’t feel or look like he is.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 2: Par 4, 466 Yards
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Remember that thing about Tiger Woods getting himself out of danger and not costing himself any shots? OK, scratch that. After another tee shot that missed left, he ends up with bogey. He’s been asking for trouble all day and moves back to even par.
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: Even par
No. 3: Par 3, 185 Yards
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An easy little par 3 at the third for Tiger Woods. He’s tried to keep life simple at the short holes. It’s the tee shots with driver or 3-wood in his hands that have caused the issues.
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even par
No. 4: Par 5, 607 Yards
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What a strange, strange round for Tiger Woods. He misses his fifth straight fairway, this time at the par-5 4th hole. Has to muscle his ball as far as possible down the fairway. Still has 160 yards left for his third shot … and stuffs it to 4 feet for a birdie. Somehow, despite being lost off the tee, he’s 1 under again.
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 1 under
No. 5: Par 4, 436 Yards
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Hey, Tiger Woods hit a fairway! After spending almost two hours digging the ball out of the rough, he finds the short grass at the fifth and rolls in his second consecutive birdie to get to 2 under.
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 2 under
No. 6: Par 4, 472 Yards
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A simple par for Tiger Woods at the sixth. Always nice when you can tap it in one-handed and move on with your day. One last chance for birdie at the 7th before two monstrous holes to close his round.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 2 under
No. 7: Par 4, 340 Yards
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Early in his career, Tiger Woods always found a way to take a so-so ball-striking round and turn it into 60-something. That’s happening in the first round of the PGA Championship. He hits iron off the seventh tee, knocks his approach to 15, then rolls in another birdie. He’s 3 under, two shots off the lead, which is impressive since he has missed so many fairways.
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 3 under
No. 8: Par 3, 251 Yards
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A loose tee shot at the brutally long par 3 found the bunker. Tiger Woods couldn’t escape trouble this time, failing to get up and down for his second bogey of the day. With one hole left on his round, he heads to the ninth at 2 under.
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 2 under
No. 9: Par 4, 515 Yards
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A loose tee shot at the brutally long par 3 found the bunker. Tiger Woods couldn’t escape trouble this time, failing to get up and down for his second bogey of the day. With one hole left on his round, he heads to the ninth at 2 under.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 2 under