Tiger is rolling, but now comes the hard part
CHIBA, Japan — Even Tiger Woods is a bit surprised at how well he is faring through two rounds of the Zozo Championship. Usually one to never lower expectations, Woods realized that what he has been through in recent months did not necessarily suggest he’d be in top form.
But rounds of 64-64 and a two-shot lead through 36 holes have been the result of a much more fluid and easy-going swing that he expected in places such as Bethpage Black (PGA Championship), Pebble Beach (U.S. Open) and Royal Portrush (The Open) earlier this year. And it helps to not have a throbbing knee, for which he had arthroscopic surgery in August.
Now comes another test: a long day of golf.
Because the second round was postponed Friday after heavy rain, the tournament will try to squeeze in as many holes as possible Sunday. Woods will tee off with Gary Woodland and Keegan Bradley at 8:30 a.m. local time (7:30 p.m. ET) and likely play until dark.
“Warmup-wise it’s still going to be the same, it’s just going to be a long day,” Woods said. “Eat a lot of food tonight and then tomorrow, same thing, make sure that I eat enough and feel good about my warmup session. I felt like I hit it a little bit better today, which is nice. That’s nice going into a long day like tomorrow, because it’s going to be a bit of a test physically and mentally to play for — what, up to 10 hours? So it’s going to be a long day.”
A lake that guards the left side of the 10th fairway at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club overflowed significantly due to storms that dumped more than 6 inches of rain on the course Friday.
Despite a huge effort to get the course in shape to play Saturday’s third round, there was little officials could do about the standing water in the 10th fairway. So PGA Tour officials decided to shorten the hole, with a makeshift tee on a downslope with a distance of just 140 yards.
Due to various technical reasons involving scoring, they did not change par on the hole, meaning what was essentially a short par-3 became a very easy par-4 — leading to a bevy of eagles and birdies.
The first five groups had six “eagles” and nine “birdies” on a hole that typically measures 376 yards. For the day, the hole yielded 52 birdies, 16 eagles, 8 pars and no bogeys.
The rest of the course was in surprisingly good condition. The course clearly drains well, and while the players were permitted to play lift, clean and place in the fairways, it might not have been necessary. By the middle of the round, the water had already drained off that 10th fairway.
“The course was perfect,” said Woodland, who shot 66 and is two strokes behind Woods. “I mean, unbelievable, with the amount of rain they had yesterday. The crew did an amazing job. The greens were great, the golf course looked like it didn’t even rain. So luckily there was no wind; the golf course was a little more gettable than it was two days ago.”
There wasn’t one, really. A few stragglers, security, tournament officials and maybe some members of the golf club were in attendance Saturday. But regular ticket holders were not allowed in due to the weather issues from Friday. The PGA Tour cited safety concerns.
It made for some strange sights and lack of sounds. Woods teed off to barely a smattering of applause at the first hole. When he made a nice birdie putt at the 13th hole, he reflexively waved as nobody cheered — because there was nobody there to cheer.
The torrential rain that suspended play on Friday left many of the players searching for things to do. The problem is, the storm was dangerous, with significant flooding, road closures and traffic jams that left many stranded.
Woods was one of them.
Woods and his girlfriend, Erica Herman, decided to head to a movie — “Joker” — with several other PGA Tour players in the town of Narita, about 15 minutes from their hotel.
When they came out of the theater, they learned that the SVUs assigned to the players were unable to traverse the streets back to the hotel.
Told there was nothing they could do but wait until road clearance was given, the players headed to . . . a Domino’s Pizza.
The other players were Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Woodland, Bubba Watson and Ryan Palmer. Woods’ friend Rob McNamara, who is a vice president at his company, was also there.
At one point, Herman said, she and Woods ventured across the street to a 7-Eleven … where, for the only time, Woods was recognized. He posed for two selfies and resumed the wait.
Many train routes were canceled in the area, bus service stopped and taxis were scarce. The SUVs with drivers assigned to players gave them a way back, but not until roads were re-opened. Eventually, after waiting for more than 90 minutes, they headed back.
Thomas tweeted about the experience, saying “what a day for the books.”
Sunday promises to be a long one at the Zozo Championship. Players were regrouped after Saturday’s second round and will be in position to begin the third round at 6:30 a.m. local time (5:30 p.m. ET). When players finish the third round, they will not be regrouped but will continue into the fourth round until darkness. The hope is to have about nine holes left to play on Monday morning.
“I think we’ll be playing a lot of golf tomorrow,” said Xander Schauffele, who is tied for fifth. “Fortunately the fans will be back out and I think they’ll be pushing us through. I’m sure they’re just as excited as we are to have them out.”