British Open Notebook - Tiger Woods is in big trouble; Phil Mickelson heads home
Released on = July 22, 2007, 7:32 am
Press Release Author = GolfPublisher Syndications
Industry = Media
Press Release Summary = British Open Notebook: Tiger Woods is in big trouble. PGA Tour coverage at WorldGolf.com
Press Release Body = From WorldGolf.com News Services, Golf Publisher Syndications
The quest by Tiger Woods to become the first player in more than 50 years to win three consecutive British Open titles is in serious jeopardy.
Woods struggled to a 3-over-par round of 74 in Friday\'s second round at Carnoustie Golf Club to drop into a tie for 20th place in the championship. The world\'s No. 1-ranked player enters Saturday\'s third round a daunting seven strokes from the top of the leaderboard, where Sergio Garcia sits.
\"That was certainly interesting,\" Woods said. \"One over par for the tournament, but still not out of it.\"
While Woods admittedly hit several poor shots, he said he was proud of the way he battled back after facing adversity.
\"I could have easily shot myself right out of the tournament today,\" Woods said. \"But I kept myself right in there.\"
Woods, who shot a 2-under 69 in the first round, had a horrific start to his round. Standing on the No. 1 tee box with an iron in his hands, the 12-time major champion hooked his tee shot out of bounds and wound up with a double-bogey six.
\"It was such a poor shot because the commitment wasn\'t there,\" Woods said.
Still, Woods said he tried to maintain a positive approach.
\"It\'s not like you don\'t make bad swings in major championships -- that\'s part of the deal,\" Woods said. \"The whole idea was not to make anything worse than six, and I didn\'t do that.\"
Woods bounced back to birdie the second hole. His round included another birdie at No. 14, but it wasn\'t enough to offset bogeys on holes 5, 8 and 18.
Even with the forecast calling for bad weather, Woods said he believes it will still be possible to make a move in the third round.
\"You shoot anything around par tomorrow (and) you\'ll be looking pretty good,\" Woods said. \"(The course) is playing difficult. It\'s not going to be playing any easier this weekend, so you\'re just going to have to go out there and grind it out and try and stay away from big mistakes.\"
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July 20, 2007 Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.