Tiger Woods Shoots 65, Tied For The Lead At Wyndham Championship
Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Tiger Woods might just be back. Woods fired a stellar second round 65 on Friday at the Wyndham Championship after coming off of a 64 on Thursday. For the first time in nearly two years, Tiger finally finds himself atop the leaderboard at 11-under par. Woods, who needs a victory this week to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, is halfway home to hoisting the trophy on Sunday.
The 14-time major champion really found his rhythm on his inward nine and carded two birdies and an eagle to vault him into a tie for the lead. According to stats provided by the PGA Tour’s website, Tiger hit eight out of 14 fairways, 15 out of 18 greens, and needed 30 putts to find the bottom of the hole.
His highlight of the day came at the par-five 15th hole. After ripping a 313-yard drive down the fairway, flushing a four-iron to within 10 feet of the pin, Woods faced a slippery eagle putt to tie for first place. It was a Tiger Woods moment, and Tiger Woods delivered, draining the putt while the crowd erupted in a loud roar that fans have waited for so long to hear again.
After his solid second round, Woods spoke with the media and discussed his play on Friday and how he felt with his game heading into the weekend.
“It was a grind today. I didn’t quite hit it as good as I did yesterday. I couldn’t quite get my iron game where I was underneath the hole to where I could get some nice firm looks, but I hung in there with my speed and ended up okay.”
With another 36 holes to go, Woods is more than just okay and finds himself in a familiar position he has held so many times throughout his historic career. It was back in 2013 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational when Tiger recorded his last victory, and now he is two rounds away from closing out his 80th PGA Tour victory.
With his 2015 season on the line, a victory here would guarantee him a spot in the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and Tiger is playing as if he desperately wants it more than ever. His amazing iron play and clutch putting throughout the first two days have reminded the golfing world that maybe the Tiger Woods of old has found a way back.
Woods tees off in the final pairing on Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern time, and it looks like the weekend at the Wyndham Championship will be quite the spectacle to watch.
[Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images]
