Page 23 - aruba-today-20171202

A23
SPORTS Saturday 2 december 2017

Woods atop leaderboard, but only briefly in the Bahamas

By DOUG FERGUSON Woods delivered plenty on
AP Golf Writer his own. He opened with
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) three birdies in four holes.
— One of the biggest He made three good pars,
cheers at the Hero World one of them having to chip
Challenge came from up the slope from a thin lie
seeing the name Tiger on No. 8, and then really
Woods moved to the top raised hopes with his eagle
of the leaderboard. on the par-5 ninth, set up
It just wasn’t there for long. by a 3-wood into the wind
In another impressive from 265 yards.
showing in his latest “Hit up in the air and took
comeback from back something off of it and cut
surgeries, Woods built on a it back into the wind,” he
solid start with a 31 on the said.
front nine at Albany Golf He made the 20-foot putt
Club that briefly gave him to reach 8 under. Behind
the lead Friday. He stalled him, Hoffman made bogey
on the back nine with a pair on the par-3 eighth. Woods
of bogeys and not enough was alone in the lead,
birdie chances, and he and the workers at the
settled for a 4-under 68. white scoreboard to the
“Successful,” Woods said, left of the green quickly
when asked to describe his moved his name to the Tiger Woods tees off from hole 16 during the Hero World Challenge golf tournament at
round in one word. top as some 100 people Albany Golf Club in Nassau, Bahamas, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017.
When the second round — that constitutes a large Associated Press
ended, Woods was five gallery this week — began
shots behind Charley cheering. There was a Woods has 79 victories on Woods didn’t make a Otherwise, he looked
Hoffman, who had a 63 smattering of “He’s back!”
that might have sent fans and even a few mentions the PGA Tour, compared bogey until a three-putt like any of the other elite
players at Albany. And
with 81 for the rest of the from 30 feet on the 12th
into a frenzy if they had about the Masters.
been watching. Woods missed it. He was field. But he hasn’t won in hole. The greens were while he wasn’t sure what
to expect coming into the
more than four years, and quicker, and that’s where
Hoffman made 12 birdies, on his way to the 10th
closing with five in a row tee. By the time he saw a this is only his 20th start he struggled. He had an week, his expectations are
getting stronger with each
since the first of four back eagle attempt from just
. He was at 12-under 132 leaderboard, it was getting
and had a three-shot lead crowded at the top with surgeries in the spring of short of the 15th green, round, especially this one.
“I felt like today I could
2014.
over Jordan Spieth (67) and Hoffman making his run, about 45 feet away, that
Tommy Fleetwood (69). Spieth chipping in for birdie He had played only seven he ran 15 feet by the hole. have easily gotten to
rounds dating to August He missed that for a three-
double digits under par,”
Hoffman made only one and setting up another
par over his final 12 holes to with a tough chip, and 2015, and this was his first putt par. he said. “That would have
put me probably one or
competition in 10 months. He still played the par
go along with eight birdies Fleetwood overcoming a
and three bogeys. double bogey-bogey start He had fusion surgery on 5s in 4 under, a five-shot two back, but I think I’m
still in it. We’ve got two
his lower back in April.
But this week, a holiday to his back nine with three improvement from the
exhibition with an 18-man straight birdies. “You’ve got to be anxious opening round. more days, and I think it’s
supposed to blow a little
— doesn’t matter who And
field and no cut, is all about “I saw somewhere on the he showed his
Woods. That much was back nine, I think there was it is, doesn’t matter how creative side on the par- harder to tomorrow. If
that’s the case, I think a
well he’s been in the past 3 17th. Facing a long putt
obvious after the round. like five guys at 8 under
Hoffman spoke to no more or something like that, at handling pressure,” over a hump with the grain good, solid round should
Spieth said. “It’s still a new running away from him,
get me up there.”
than five reporters about something weird like that,”
his round, while a dozen Woods said. experience for him to have Woods chose to chip it off That depends on Hoffman.
“I said at the beginning of
that little golf. And to come the putting surface and
others were about 30 feet A case could be made
away surrounding Joe that his name among them out and play competitive along the fringe to be able the week, I hope he wins,”
Hoffman said. “It’s great for
golf and work his way into to better judge the speed.
LaCava, Woods’ caddie, was weird.
looking for any additional His past is enough to merit contention, that’s what’s It settled 3 feet away for a the game of golf. q
really exceptional.”
morsel about his round. legend status in this field. par.