Page 19 - aruba-today-20180922

A19
SPORTS Saturday 22 September 2018

Rose, Wood share lead going into weekend at East Lake

By DOUG FERGUSON Woods last shared the 36-
ATLANTA (AP) — Not even hole lead at the Wyndham
one bad hole could keep Championship in 2015. He
Tiger Woods from a share wound up in a tie for 10th,
of the 36-hole lead for the and then was gone from
first time in more than three the PGA Tour for the next 17
years. months while he recovered
Woods hit his stride Friday from two back surgeries.
on the back nine at East One more back surgery fol-
Lake with three birdies and lowed that brief return in
an 8-foot par save over four 2017, and it's been a slow
straight holes, giving him a road back.
two-shot lead as he started In the FedEx Cup finale,
to build some separation however, Woods is picking
against a 30-man field at up momentum. He opened
the Tour Championship. with a 62 at Aronimink two
One tee shot brought him weeks ago on a rain-soft-
back. ened course and stayed
He went from the deep within five shots of the lead
rough left of the 16th fair- the rest of the way until he
way to a plugged lie in tied for sixth.
a bunker that left him no Now his name has been
choice but play away from atop the leaderboard for
the green, and he missed a consecutive rounds, and
12-foot putt to take double it's not an accident. Tiger Woods acknowledges the gallery after making a birdie putt on the second green during the
bogey. A two-putt birdie East Lake, with its shaggy second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, in Atlanta.
on the final hole gave him Bermuda rough and dry,
a 2-under 68 and a tie with fast conditions, requires his last 12 holes and shot starting with a wedge to 4 have just pitched out, and
Justin Rose. nothing short of preci- 39 on the back nine for a feet on No. 12, an 8-foot the worst I would make is 5,"
Woods considers it a victory sion. Woods wasn't nearly 72. It was a sudden drop par save on the 13th, an 18- Woods said. "And with my
to have made it to the Tour as sharp as he was Thurs- for Rahm, who took bogey foot birdie on the 14th and wedge game right now,
Championship coming off day when he started with from the rough on the 14th a tee shot that flirted with a pretty high percentage
a fourth back surgery. He's a 65, but he missed in the hole and then put his tee the edge of the peninsula I would have got that up-
not ready to think about right spots. Despite hitting shot into the water on the green on the par-3 15th. and-down. But I thought
the prospect of ending his only two fairways through par-3 15th for a double bo- Woods poured that one in I could sneak it up there
remarkable comeback 11 holes, he wasn't losing gey and a 68. from 25 feet, and the roar and get up on the upslope
season with his 80th PGA much ground. Rahm was three behind at resonated across East Lake. and have a good angle in
Tour victory. "This course, the way it's 136, along with Billy Horschel And then he was in deep there, and it just didn't work
"We have a long way to playing right now, you've and Patrick Cantlay, each trouble, his ball nestled out."
go," Woods said. "This is not got to be so patient," Woods with a tournament-best 65, down on the 454-yard 16th Rose is coming off a playoff
an easy golf course." said. "It's hard to make bird- and Justin Thomas, the de- hole. He thought he could loss at the BMW Champion-
Rose, in his debut at No. 1 ies, and on top of that, it's fending FedEx Cup cham- gouge it out of the rough ship last week, and as the
in the world, played in the hard to get the ball close. pion who hit tee shots all and over the tree to just No. 2 seed in the FedEx Cup
group ahead of Woods It's very easy to make mis- over East Lake and some- short of the green, but he is in the best spot to cap-
and could hear all about takes, make a few bogeys how managed a 69. misjudged the lie. It came ture the $10 million prize.
it with an enormous gallery here and there. And look at "We don't play very many up short into a bunker Bryson DeChambeau, the
right behind him. He bird- most of the field. That's ba- places like this where if you some 50 yards short of the No. 1 seed, shot 75 and was
ied three of his last six holes sically what they're doing." have control of your ball, green, plugged so badly 13 shots behind.
to offset a bogey for a 67. Jon Rahm and Rickie Fowl- if you have control of your in the side that he couldn't Tony Finau and Dustin John-
They were at 7-under 133. er also had at least a share game, you're probably go- do anything but blast out son, the other top-5 seeds
Rory McIlroy made enough of the lead at some point, ing to have a good chance slightly behind him. A flip who only have to win to
birdies to offset his mistakes only to lose ground. It was to win," Thomas said. wedge to 12 feet and two claim the FedEx Cup, have
in a round of 68. He was a slow bleed for Fowler, Fowler was four shots back. putts later, he was tied with ground to make up on the
two shots behind. who went birdie-free over Woods surged into the lead Rose. "I probably should weekend.q