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Golfweek’s Adam Schupak discusses the third round of play from TPC Boston for the Northern Trust.
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak discusses the third round of play from TPC Boston for the Northern Trust.
Tiger Woods tells Rory McIlroy that it is the first time he’s ever made a putt on the green with the flagstick in his life.
There’s a first time for everything.
Tiger Woods was – to use a popular expression – today years old when he made a putt on the green with the flagstick in the hole.
It’s hard to believe, but remember, until a year ago, doing so was deemed a penalty until the Rules of Golf were revised in an effort to speed up play. Since the rule change, there have been several studies conducted to determine whether it is an advantage to leave the flagstick in or not, and Adam Scott and Bryson DeChambeau were among the early adopters. The spread of COVID-19 and golfers not wanting to touch the flagstick has made leaving the flag in a popular choice among recreational golfers, but most professionals seem to be set in their ways.
For Woods, his moment came during Saturday’s third round and credit to PGA Tour Live for picking up the audio. After tapping in for par at 17 with the flag in, Woods told playing competitor Rory McIlroy, “That’s my first time.”
"If he was 3-under no chance, Rory."
@TigerWoods' first time "ever" making a putt with the flagstick in the hole. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/aIOyuH8WFK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 22, 2020
McIlroy, with a lilt of surprise in his voice, responded, “Ever?”
“Ever,” Woods said as he broke into a big smile.
“Thank you,” Woods added. “You saw me pause there for a little bit.”
In the midst of raking a bunker, caddie Joe LaCava interjected and said, “If he was 3 under, no chance, Rory.”
Laughter ensued.
After the round, our David Dusek caught up with LaCava, who claims Woods may have holed a putt on the green with the flagstick in before, and just doesn’t remember it. But one thing is for sure: This is the first time Woods ate lunch on a picnic table outside of the media tent with his fellow competitor post-round. As Bob Dylan once sang, “The times, they are a-changin.”
After Tiger shot 73 and Rory shot 74, they stopped for burgers outside the media tent. #golf @TheNTGolf pic.twitter.com/shh13SbD8w
— David Dusek (@Golfweek_Dusek) August 22, 2020
Tiger Woods left his A-game at home on Saturday morning, stumbling down the leaderboard at the PGA Tour’s Northern Trurst.
Tiger Woods may have his trust Scotty Cameron putter back in the bag this week, but it sure isn’t working the way it used to.
Woods struggled again on Saturday during the third round of the Northern Trust, the first of three events in the PGA Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs. The two-time FedEx Cup champion couldn’t get anything going on Moving Day at TPC Boston, signing for a disappointing 2-over 73 and walking off the course 1 under for the tournament in 68th place. He’s only ahead of Saturday’s playing partner Rory McIlroy, who shot 3 over to fall back to even, and Matt Jones, who brings up the rear after a 5-over 76 dropped him to 2 over for the tournament.
The scorecard doesn’t look great, but that doesn’t mean Woods didn’t have his opportunities to score. On the front nine alone, Woods missed two birdie putts from four feet on Nos. 1 and 7 and a seven-footer on No. 4. When he made a bad shot, he compounded mistakes, like on the par-3 third when he duffed his second shot from the rough or the par-4 12th, where he three-putted for bogey from 28 feet. He also missed six greens from the fairway (including the par-5 18th, where he had 215 yards to the pin).
Northern Trust: Leaderboard | Photos | Tee times | Tiger Tracker
Woods won’t win a record 83rd PGA Tour title this week, and his hopes for a record third FedEx Cup title took a hit, as well. The 15-time major champion will have an early tee time on Sunday and a shot to right the ship before heading to Chicago for next week’s BMW Championship at Olympia Fields.
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In this week’s edition of “Professionals: They’re just like us” Rory McIlroy chipped a ball backwards into a hazard at the Northern Trust.
In this week’s edition of “Professional golfers: They’re just like us,” we take a look at Rory McIlroy early Saturday morning at the Northern Trust.
The defending FedEx Cup champion took a step forward on Moving Day on the first hole with a birdie. He immediately took four steps back – almost literally into a hazard – on the very next hole.
From the left rough on the par-5 second, McIlroy tried to make some magic from 221 yards and barely avoided the water hazard that guards the green. He couldn’t avoid it on his third shot. His chip went backwards into the hazard.
Northern Trust: Leaderboard | Photos | Tee times | Tiger Tracker
Rory McIlroy just hit a chip shot backwards into the water. (Yes, you read that correctly.) pic.twitter.com/QAKmFqWBfD
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) August 22, 2020
McIlroy then had to walk back to the drop zone on the other side of the hazard, and from there he proceeded to make triple bogey for what might be the most interesting hole of golf we’ll see all day.
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Follow along as Tiger Woods looks to make a Moving Day jump up the leaderboard alongside Rory McIlroy at the Northern Trust.
Tiger Woods hasn’t had his best stuff in his return to the PGA Tour this week at the Northern Trust, but he’s been just good enough to make the weekend.
The 15-time major champion made the cut directly on the number at 3 under after a 3-under 68 on Thursday and a ho-hum even-par 71 on Friday at TPC Boston in the first of three events that comprise the Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs.
Woods, a two-time FedEx Cup champion, is back in action early on Saturday morning, teeing off alongside defending FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy. Follow Woods’ round with shot-by-shot analysis below.
Driveable par 4 here at the fourth at just 301 yards. That’s a 3-wood here for Tiger, aiming this one right and landing in the fairway area near the green. Great angle at the pin, plenty of green to work with, great shot. Good effort here rolls this one to about eight feet for another birdie chance. Yikes, another just dead miss. Wasn’t much to this one, just missed it. Par.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even thru 4 (3 under overall).
Leaves this one short on the first par 3 of the day, finding the rough just beyond the bunker that guards the front of the green. Oh man, he didn’t even get this one to the green. Duffed his chip and then almost holed-out for par. Bogey. Nothing to see, just a really bad second shot.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even thru 3 (3 under overall).
YAHTZEE! Tiger smokes this one 325-yards down the middle of the fairway. Great shot off the tee leaves just 203 yards to the flag but he tugs this one a little left. Maybe he tried to fade it in to the green, but if so, didn’t move an inch. He’s safe but flirting with the water hazard, and will have a simple pitch-and-putt to make birdie. Nifty little pitch here on the second rolls to four feet once again. Let’s see if he can convert this time. Of course he can, he’s Tiger Woods. Should be consecutive birdies but he’ll take the one.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under thru 2 (4 under overall).
Moving Day, let’s get it. Iron off the tee here for Tiger and it’s right down the middle of the fairway. The Big Cat struggled to hit greens from the short stuff yesterday, we’ll see how he fairs with his ballstriking today on the first. Tiger must’ve had a big breakfast because he’s licking his chops after this tasty approach. He lands it hole-high and spins it back just a bit, leaving a four-footer for birdie. Wow, that’s an awful putt and a real missed opportunity. Left it outside the cup the entire way. Par.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even thru 1 (3 under overall).
Watch Tiger and Rory warm up on the range.
Live on the range with @TigerWoods and @McIlroyRory before their 8:30 a.m. ET tee time in Round 3 of @TheNTGolf. https://t.co/GfkAct8H3y
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 22, 2020
Golfweek’s David Dusek discusses the second round of play from TPC Boston for the 2020 Northern Trust.
Golfweek’s David Dusek discusses the second round of play from TPC Boston for the 2020 Northern Trust.
After missing the cut at the Northern Trust, several big names who started the week ranked higher than No. 70 in FedEx Cup points are out.
NORTON, Mass. – The numbers don’t play favorites, and after missing the cut at the Northern Trust, several well-known golfers who started the week ranked higher than No. 70 on the FedEx Cup points list have now been eliminated from the playoffs. Only players ranked 70 or better are eligible to play in next week’s BMW Championship.
While it is not official yet, Phil Mickelson will almost assuredly finish worse than 70th on the FedEx Cup points list. Mickelson started the week at No. 67 and missed the cut. As of Friday night, he is projected to move to 76th, and the Hall of Famer has already said that he plans to play the PGA Tour Champions event that starts on Monday.
Among those golfers who will not be moving on are:
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The second round of the Northern Trust was a wild day of scoring, especially for Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler.
NORTON, Mass. – Danny Lee walked off the golf course after shooting a 64, signed his scorecard and talked with a couple of media members. He was one of the first players to complete his loop of TPC Boston on Friday morning, and his name was at the top of the leaderboard. Anyone who shoots 66-64 to start a tournament has the right to pump out his chest a little and feel good about things, but by the time Lee’s rental car rolled down the driveway and turned onto Route 40, his fantastic start at the 2020 Northern Trust would be forgotten.
The course, originally designed by Arnold Palmer in 2002 and updated in 2017 by Gil Hanse, became an aviary on Friday. Birdies and eagles were flying everywhere, and Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson were hunting.
Scheffler set a tournament course and posted the 12th sub-60 round ever on the PGA Tour, shooting a 59 in the morning wave that included 12 birdies. He finished at 13 under. But five hours after he holed a 4-footer on the 18th green, Johnson missed a 25-footer on the same hole for a 59. He tapped in from 2 feet for a 60.
At 15-under, Johnson will take a two-shot lead over Scheffler and Cameron Davis (who had a second-round 65) into the third round of the Northern Trust. He will have a three-shot lead over Lee, Louis Oosthuizen (65) and Harris English (66).
Northern Trust: Leaderboard | Best photos | Scheffler’s 59| DJ’s 60
“Today was obviously a good day on the course. I got off to a really good start and made a bunch of birdies on the front nine,” Scheffler said. “Had some key up-and-downs at the beginning of the round that kind of got me rolling, freed me up a little bit. Then the momentum just kind of kept going. I never really lost momentum, which was nice. A lot of times, when you’re playing well, you can lose that momentum toward the end of the round or have a hiccup here or there. The momentum stayed the whole time, and I made a lot of putts.”
After hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation, Scheffler needed just 23 putts on Friday.
Johnson, who is ranked No. 4 on the Official World Golf Rankings and started the day at 4 under, surged up the leaderboard and set a front-nine tournament record by shooting 27. He made five birdies and two eagles and then birdied the next two holes to reach 11-under par for the day through 11 holes.
Had fans been lining the ropes lines and filling the bleachers, as there have been in past years, the noise would have rivaled the roars heard when the New England Patriots score at Gillette Stadium.
“Everything was going well today,” Johnson said. “Any time you’re that many under through 11 holes, you’re putting well. I made some nice putts, but also I hit some really good shots.”
After having a terrible putting day on Thursday morning, Johnson hit the practice green Thursday afternoon and found a spark using a drill that helps him position his right arm more effectively. He repeated the exercise on Friday before his round and utilized it before several putts on the course Friday. It paid off because Johnson made over 151 feet of putts in the second round and was the leader in strokes gained putting for the day, too (5.132).
Both Scheffler and Johnson said they were very aware that a 59 was possible as they came down the stretch, and they took similar approaches to handling it.
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“I wouldn’t say those thoughts are negative at all,” Scheffler said. “You obviously put them in the back of your head when you’re hitting shots, but as far as thinking about (shooting 59), it’s not necessarily a negative because it encourages me to continue to make birdies.”
Johnson also wanted to attack the course and said that he was looking to make birdies on every hole, but a couple of wayward tee shots on the back nine prevented him from attacking a few flags.
If there is one shot he regrets, it is the tee shot on 18.
“I should have hit 3-wood off the tee there because I could have had 3-wood and 6-iron on the green,” Johnson said. “If I had to do over again, I’d hit a 3-wood there.”
Two rounds of 59 have never been fired on the same day at the same PGA Tour event. However, this is the second time there has been a 59 and a 60. In 2010, Paul Goydos shot 59 and Steve Stricker posted the 60 in the first round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.
While plenty of low scores were posted at TPC Boston on Friday, several notable players struggled and missed the cut of 3 under (139). Jordan Spieth finished at 2 under, Tony Finau was 1 under, and Phil Mickelson, Patrick Cantlay, Gary Woodland and Bryson DeChambeau ended at even par. Collin Morikawa, the PGA Championship winner two weeks ago, struggled to a 1-over finish to miss his second career cut as a professional.
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Golfweek’s Adam Woodard discusses Tiger’s second round of play at TPC Boston for the Northern Trust.
Golfweek’s Adam Woodard discusses Tiger’s second round of play at TPC Boston for the Northern Trust.
Tiger Woods stalled on Friday, carding an even-par 71 to make the Northern Trust weekend cut on the number.
On a day where Scottie Scheffler shot 59 and Dustin Johnson was 11 under through 11 holes, Tiger Woods stalled for most of his second round at the Northern Trust.
The 15-time major champion birdied his opening hole then was stuck in neutral for the majority of the round, ho-humming his way around TPC Boston to the tune of an even-par 71.
Woods gave back his opening birdie just three holes later and proceeded to make five consecutive pars to close out the front nine and three more to start his back nine. For the second day, the 44-year-old made bogey on the par-4 13th, briefly dropping him outside the projected 3-under cut line. The 82-time winner on the PGA Tour then made birdie on Nos. 14 and 15 to safely move inside the cut.
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Until he made a couple unforced errors on No. 17 after missing the green from the fairway and leaving a six-footer for par after his chip. Standing on the 18th tee, Woods was once again on the cut line and blew his tee shot to the left. He got the member’s bounce he needed as his ball kicked away from the real trouble. From there he scrambled for par to make the cut on the number.
The Northern Trust, the first of three events in the season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs, is the final event of the Tour season that features a 36-hole cut. After this week, the top 70 players on the FedEx Cup standings will advance to next week’s BMW Championship outside Chicago.
Woods walked off the course T-58 at 3 under for the tournament, setting himself up for an early tee time on Saturday.
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