Tiger Woods finished the first round at the PGA Championship at one over par, shooting a 72. He is 10 shots behind the leader Xander Schauffele at Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky. Woods was one under after 16 holes, but he bogeyed the last two holes to finish at one over.
The winner of 15 majors said he’s still got some work to do to get his game back to where it needs to be to have a chance of winning another.
“It’s just the competitive flow,” he said. “It took me probably three holes to get back into competitive flow again and get a feel for hitting the ball out there in competition, adrenaline, temperatures, green speeds.” Woods said. “These are all things that normally I adjust to very quickly, and it just took me a few holes to get into it.”
How will he fare in round 2?
Tiger Scrambled to Stay Close to Par
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Woods’ performance today was similar to his first round at the Masters last month, where he shot a one-over 73. This is his first competitive round since the final round of the Masters in Augusta on April 14.
“Wasn’t very good,” Woods said. “Bad speed on eight; whipped it past the hole. And nine hit it short. Hit it off the heel of the putt and blocked the second one. So [it] wasn’t very good on the last two holes.”
Tiger had to scramble to get himself out of trouble on several holes today. He missed a few fairways on his front nine. Woods made several good putts though to save bogey at the 11th and to save par at the 12th at the PGA Championship.
Woods Is Still Recovering From Injuries
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Tiger Woods’ career may well have been even more successful if not for his injuries. He’s had more than ten surgeries to repair his back, knees, and his legs. Five of those surgeries were on his back and spine, and he had his ACL reconstructed by surgeons.
“I am getting stronger for sure … Each day is a little bit different. Some days, it’s better than others. It’s just the way it is. My body is just that way. Some days, it feels great, and other days, a bit of a struggle.”
Tiger Woods played a practice round at Valhalla last week to prepare for the tournament. He won the 2000 championship at this legendary course in an edge-of-your-seat three-hole playoff against Bob May.
Schauffele’s Flawless Round Breaks PGA Record
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Xander Schauffele shot a nine under par 62 to set the course record at Valhalla. His bogey-free round tied the lowest round in major championship history, something that he has now done twice.
After his round, the No. 3 golfer in the world, Schauffele, was asked if he was playing the best golf of his career.
“I’d say it’s very close to it if not it,” he said. “I feel there’s spurts, moments in time where you feel like you can control the ball really well, you’re seeing the greens really well, you’re chipping really well. But over a prolonged period, it’s tough to upkeep high performance.”
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports are the NHL, MLB, and NFL. My goal: unique content. And my teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I’m a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
