Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY

A20 SPORTS
Friday 9 March 2018
Tiger up to the task in a tough day at Innisbrook

By DOUG FERGUSON with Spieth and Woods,
AP Golf Writer also shot 74.
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Morning or afternoon, it
Tiger Woods discovered didn't matter. There was
how tough Innisbrook can a chill in the Florida air,
be in a swirling wind, and and the wind made it feel
he was up to the task. colder. Ultimately, the
Woods smacked his hands wind swirling through the
into an oak as he let loose tree-lined fairways made it
of the club during a bold es- tough to get the ball close.
cape from the trees, came Innisbrook produced the
within inches of an ace on highest average score for
the next hole, and most the opening round — 72.86
importantly was among 27 — of the 23 courses used
players — just under 20 per- this season.
cent of the field — to break Conners managed just
par Thursday in the Valspar fine, taking advantage of
Championship. a tournament he wasn't
Canadian rookie Corey sure he would be playing.
Conners, who got into the He went through Monday
field as an alternate not qualifying and shot 71, but
long after he failed to get moments after walking off
through Monday qualify- the course, he was told he
Tiger Woods hits from behind a tree on the fourth hole during the first round of the Valspar Cham- ing, didn't make a bogey got in as an alternate.
pionship golf tournament Thursday, March 8, 2018, in Palm Harbor, Fla. until his final hole at No. 9 "Kind of had a mindset of
Associated Press and shot a 4-under 67. trying to take advantage
That gave him a one-shot of a good break, I guess,"
lead over Nick Watney, he said.
Whee Kim and Kelly Kraft. Watney holed a bunker
Only three other players, in- shot on the par-4 16th,
cluding former PGA cham- made the turn and had an
pion Jimmy Walker broke eagle on the first hole.
70. "Maybe I need to steal a
Woods made five birdies to few shots here and there
counter his mistakes in his and get some good things
round of 70, the first time going," said Watney, win-
he broke par in the open- less since August 2012.
ing round of a PGA Tour Walker (69) and past Innis-
event since his 64 in the brook champion Luke Don-
Wyndham Championship ald (70) managed to go
in August 2015 — just six bogey-free, a rarity on a
tour events ago because day like this. Also at 70 were
of back surgeries. Justin Rose, Masters cham-
This was his first time playing pion Sergio Garcia, Adam
the Valspar Championship, Scott and Steve Stricker,
and it got his attention. who won last week on the
"I enjoy when par is a good PGA Tour Champions.
score. It's a reward," Woods Woods is playing his fourth
said. PGA Tour event since re-
"There are some tourna- turning from fusion surgery
ments when about four on his lower back, his fourth
holes you don't make a surgery since the spring of
birdie, you feel like you're 2014.
behind. Today, made a He has shown steady prog-
couple of birdies, all of a ress, and this might have
sudden puts me fourth, been his most steady per-
fifth, right away. That's how formance, even with four
hard it is." bogeys. Those were inevi-
It was like for everybody, table.
especially Jordan Spieth One of the came at the
and Rory McIlroy. par-3 fourth, when he was
Spieth, who won at Innis- fooled by the wind and
brook in a playoff in 2015, sent his tee shot sailing.
didn't make a birdie after It was next to a tree that
the par-5 opening hole Woods had to straddle just
and shot a 76. Only six to advance toward the
other players had a higher green. He also came up
score. Rory McIlroy, who well short on the 12th into a
like Woods was making his strong wind.
debut in this event, played "Into the wind, it felt like you
in the morning and shot 74. just hit walls," he said.
Henrik Stenson, who played But it looked painful.q