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Putter Holds Tiger Woods Back, He Ties for Third in 70th Masters Tournament

/noticias.info/ By Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Look for Tiger Woods to be using a new putter the next time he tees it up. Had the flat stick cooperated, things might have been different in the 70th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Woods three-putted three times and used 33 total in Sunday’s final round, and still shot a 2-under-par 70. He wound up tying for third place at 4-under 284, three strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson.

“It was very frustrating,” said Woods. “I felt so much control on my ball from tee to green. The best I’ve hit it in years. The final round of a major, that’s exactly how you want to hit it. But then again I absolutely lost it out there on the greens. I putted so bad. I’m going to probably go snap this putter in about eight pieces.”

That was evident by the look on his face as Woods walked off the 18th tee.

“I was about ready to break my putter right there on the spot,” said the four-time Masters champion. “Just putt with any club – I could hit a flop shot on the green – I could care less at the time. That’s about the state of my mind.”

The statistics reflected his frustration. Woods hit 15 of 18 greens and 10 of 14 fairways in regulation Sunday. He three-putted six times during the tournament.

“If I knew, I would have fixed it,” he said. “I didn’t know what was going on. It’s something that’s been the hallmark of my game is making putts, and all of a sudden I don’t make putts. If I would have just putted normal it might have been a different story.”

Dressed in a corral colored shirt, black slacks and black hat, Woods drove safely on the first hole and hit his second shot on the right side of the green. Faced with a big-breaking right-to-left putt, he guessed correctly and nearly holed it the ball curling just above the cup for an easy par.

At the par-5 second, Woods pushed his tee shot into the right rough and was unable to reach the green in two. Coming up just short, he used a putter and lagged up to within five feet of the hole and made the birdie putt, his first on the hole all week.

Woods elected to hit driver at the short par-4 third, a hole he had birdied the previous two rounds. After a perfect tee shot wound up just shy of the green, Woods pitched eight feet below the cup but missed the putt, failing to earn a share of the lead at 4-under.

He nearly birdied the 231-yard par-3 fourth, placing a 3-iron 18 feet from the hole. The putt looked true and just missed catching the left edge of the cup, Woods falling to his knees.

Woods used a 3-wood to find the fairway at the par-4 fifth, then hit a safe approach shot 25 feet below the hole and two-putted for a par. At the downhill par-3 sixth, Woods failed to reach the upper tier of the green and faced a difficult, uphill putt. His birdie attempt finished seven feet right of the hole and he missed from there, the bogey dropping him 4-over on the par-3’s for the tournament and two strokes off the lead.

Using an iron off the tee, Woods drove into the left rough and faced a tough angle to the green. His second shot came up short of the green and he pitched to four feet and saved par.

Woods crushed an accurate drive at the par-5 eighth, a hole he had birdied each of the first three rounds. This time, he pulled his 5-wood second shot into the pine straw on the left, punched a low bump-and-run pitch about 12 feet past the hole and narrowly missed his birdie attempt.

Needing a spark, Woods split the fairway at the par-4 ninth, but his short approach landed on the front portion of the green and trickled off the putting surface, leaving a tough, uphill chip. Woods executed beautifully and saved par, making the turn in even-par 36, three strokes behind co-leaders Fred Couples and Mickelson.

Woods found the fairway with a long 3-wood at the downhill par-4 10th, hit his second shot 30 feet below the hole and two-putted. A poor second shot led to a bogey at the par-4 11th, as Woods slipped to 1-over for the round. He almost got it back after nestling an 8-iron about 12 feet below the cup at the par-3 12th but failed to convert.

After a booming drive at the par-5 13th, Woods hit a brilliant second shot from 224 yards to six feet above the hole. Desperately needing to make the eagle putt to climb back into contention, the ball caught the left edge of the hole and lipped out, Woods settling for a two-putt birdie.

“I just hit it too hard,” he said.

Woods parred 14, then hit two perfect shots at the par-5 15th, knocking his second shot within eight feet. Again, he failed to convert an eagle putt, settling for a birdie.

He added another birdie at the par-3 16th, his drive stopping about five feet from the hole, but he three-putted No. 17. Woods ended the tournament on a high note with a 25-foot birdie putt at 18, but it was little consolation.

“The way the golf course was playing, just make a few birdies here and there, just kind of gradually move up,” he said. “I just wasn’t able to do that because I couldn’t make a putt.”

When did he think the tournament was out of reach?

“Probably after I three-putted on 17,” said Woods. “If I would have birdied 17, birdied 18 and posted 6-under, you never know what could have happened. But I obviously didn’t do that.” notas_de_prensa_archivo