Tiger Woods sinks incredible putt, has audience roaring with vintage fist-pump
After months of just looking like an old Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner suddenly transformed into the old Tiger Woods in the third round of The Open.
Woods posted modest scores of 71 in each of the first two rounds of golf’s oldest major championship before posting a 66 on Saturday. It was his first round in the 60s on the weekend of the British Open since 2007.
Tiger’s surge briefly had him sitting atop the leaderboard but with 32 golfers still to tee off after him. He finished Saturday at 5-under to leave him in a tie for sixth place and firmly in contention for Sunday.
The highlight of Woods’ round came at the turn as he sunk a 40-foot putt for a birdie on the 9th hole. He then capped off the hole with a vintage fist pump that surely brought back old memories for his fans.
Making the turn with a Tiger fist pump!
He's 3 back. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/qbaMo7fXmW
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 21, 2018
That was the third of six birdies for Woods in the round including three straight on the 9th, 10th and 11th holes. Outside of a bogey on the 16th hole, Woods shot par on every other hole.
Woods makes bogey, but barring a collapse, this will be the first major he starts with 3 straight rounds at par or better since the 2012 Open at Royal Lytham
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 21, 2018
On the 18th hole, Woods nearly pulled a Jean Van de Velde and narrowly missed hitting the ball into the burn. After laying up, he then hit hit a wonderful pitch to within 10 feet of the hole to save par.
"Absolutely brilliant!"
Huge par save and a 66 for @TigerWoods. #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/hqJGxckce7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 21, 2018
This is the first time that Woods is even playing on the weekend of The Open since 2014. He missed the cut in 2015 and did not play due to injury over the next two years.
Woods has won The Open three times in his career but none have come at Carnoustie. He’s played this course twice before where he finished tied for 7th in 1999 and tied for 12th in 2007.
With little to no wind for most of the day, Saturday was a day of low scores across the course as seven golfers shot 66 or better. That doubles the number of players who shot 66 or better through the first two rounds combined.
The lowest of those scores came via Justin Rose who played a bogey-free third round to shoot a 64.
That matches the course record for The Open as Rose hit seven birdies including five on the back-nine alone. The Englishman had just one birdie on Friday and two on Thursday.
Rose was in the third group to start the day meaning he barely even made the cut. But he finished the third round in the top 10 as he seeks his first Open Championship.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot a 65 on Saturday — including an eagle on the first hole — to finish at 9-under par and in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard with two other Americans, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner.
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