Tiger finds it difficult to commit.
NASSAU, Bahamas – On the eighth tee of Hero World Challange, Tiger Woods tossed a clump of grass into the air. In an attempt to gauge the breeze and determine which club to hit and how far to carry on the par three, he did so three times. For a brief while, he lost focus, which was unusual for him, but as the round went on, it started to happen again.
He admitted, “I just didn’t quite commit to what I was doing and feeling.”
Woods’ performance on Thursday was a little rusty. Positively, he made four birdies in the first round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Club, but he also carded five bogeys and a double bogey. To be back in his element and play competitive golf for the first time in 235 days after having surgery to fuse his right subtalar joint following the Masters in April was still a victory of sorts.
“I suppose you take it for granted when you’re playing all the time,” he remarked. “All right, the wind is blowing up. Move the ball back and just give it a slight lean. Flight it down a little bit and add a few yards.” I was considering doing it rather than responding to it. Then, as I debated whether or not to take action, I end up pressing the trigger. Really, I shouldn’t press the trigger. Make a poor shot. I repeated the action repeatedly. It was a lack of dedication to my feelings and actions. I need to perform it better. With a smoother transition and a more efficient coil, it’s enabling him to produce more power. He made six of thirteen fairways, ten greens, and thirty putts overall, the best being a 48-foot bomb for birdie at the eleventh hole.
“Good read, Robby.” 😆@TigerWoods’ 48-footer capped off a fun opening round at the Bahamas. pic.twitter.com/8KmrmPeqih
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023
At No. 15, he made a reckless drive to the left and suffered the price, barely making progress with his second shot as he attempted to smash it from a thicket. This resulted in a double bogey, which he compounded by adding bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17. A lot of people were interested in seeing how Woods will do among the other players in the 20-man field.
In reference to Woods’ muscular build and the upcoming SEC Championship game between his beloved Georgia Bulldogs football team and the Dawgs, Brian Harman stated, “Looks like he could suit it up for the Dawgs on Saturday.” He is an amazing athlete. I hope he’s in good health, can move well, is pain-free, and is able to play a little bit longer.
Following the round, Woods again reported feeling sore. When asked where he felt it most, he replied, “Everywhere,” adding, “My neck, my back, and my legs.”
As Fred Couples once said, “Christmas comes early” when it comes to three more days of Tiger guaranteed. He’s matched with Rickie Fowler on Friday at 11:02 a.m. ET. Here are four other takeaways from the Hero World Challenge’s opening round.
Harman’s short game is precise
With a strong, refreshing wind and a bright, sunny day, Harman struggled to make par on ten out of eleven shots. When asked which one was the best, he selected one that belonged to Lucas Glover, his playing rival.
“It was amazing,” Harman remarked. “It seemed like I had the high and low of the day until you had that one,” I joked with him.
“I boneheaded 11 and was long in three, had to get it up and down from kind of nowhere back behind that green on 11,” Harman said, describing his greatest play.
Harman claimed he concentrated on his short game in the lead-up to the Hero because it let him down the last time he played, at the RSM Classic.
He admitted, “I made some really nice up-and-downs, but I got out of position a few times.” “Happy that I got a couple close.”
Harman finished at the top of leader board along with Tony finau at Hero World Challenge https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/1730318523967119493?s=20
Finau game was Locked in
Tony Finau is starting for the first time since the August Tour Championship in Atlanta. He was not harmed by his vacation. He shot 5-under 67, sharing the lead after the first round with Harman after birdieing four of his final eight holes at Hero World Challenge.
Finau commented, “I was happy with my start because I was more interested in how I was going to play than anything else.” Finau had a terrible break when, at 18, his 8-iron approach from 185 yards caromed off the top of the flagstick and came to rest off the green against the collar. He kept par alive.
What was Finau’s off-season routine? primarily with family, although he did step up his training—working out with the Utah Jazz, for example—and claimed to have increased his ball speed.
He declared, “That’s the one thing, that’s my focus this season.” “Over the last several years, I’ve dealt with some knee concerns that were kind of limited to my team. As a result, my focus has been on becoming healthier and stronger in preparation for this season so that I can swing the club as effectively as I know how. I believe I was able to demonstrate my increased swing speed today, and it felt good.
Morikawa Felt injury free at Hero World Challange
In October, Collin Morikawa won the Zozo Championship in Japan, which was the last time that fans saw him compete. However, the Netflix live special from Las Vegas was the final time we were expected to see him perform. But Morikawa’s back issue forced him to withdraw. In May, he was forced to leave the Memorial due to back problems. His back, though, wasn’t a problem on Thursday as he shot 3-under 69.
He remarked, “It felt great actually.”
“Swing-wise, everything felt fine, but obviously, I’m still worried about the back, just sort of batting around. It’s kind of the same as it was a month ago—I kind of know why I had excellent shots and why I had bad shots. It’s nice to start Thursday with a few birdies out there.
“I still need to watch it and make sure I’m doing the right stuff,” he continued. It’s something I have to keep up with; it won’t just go away. Everything will work out.
Jordan had an ‘electric factory day
Jordan Spieth.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023
Proving there's more than one way to shoot 68 since 1993. pic.twitter.com/D3OAeScRBU
Jordan Spieth had a lot of squares and circles on his scorecard; perhaps he was trying to teach his two-year-old son Sammy the difference between the two. With just four pars, he shot 4-under 68 at Round 1 of Hero World Challenge 2023.
“There was definitely an electric factory there. There was a lot of really, really fantastic stuff mixed in with some rusty putting and a few toe balls, he remarked. Overall, I simply didn’t think I would get there this way; when I was warming up today, I would have probably signed for 4 under.
At Albany, Spieth carried his lucky charm in his bag. Michael Greller is being substituted by Spieth’s old high school friend Eric Leyendecker. Leyendecker tallied a T-3 finish in 2017 whereas Spieth hasn’t finished higher than 15th in his last three starts with Greller. Spieth, meanwhile, claims that Greller was the one who set up Leyendecker’s appearance on the bag this week.
Spieth stated, “They made a deal back in May and told me about a month and a half ago.” “Yes, he has the best finish I’ve ever had here at Albany, so we will work to get better.”
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