AUGUSTA — Tiger Woods probably won’t win the 64th Masters. It was tough enough just making the cut.
Woods, the heavy favorite to win his second Green Jacket this weekend, struggled to shoot an even-par 72 yesterday, leaving him at 3-over-par 147 for the tournament.
Only those scoring 4-over or better advanced to the final two rounds. Woods, whose opening-round 75 buried him early, trails leader David Duval by nine strokes, a deficit that seems impossible to make up with how well Duval and other big names on the leader board are playing.
“I just need to play a good solid weekend and we’ll see what happens,” Woods said.
After Thursday’s dismal round, Woods needed to post a low number to get himself back in the tournament. But he opened with a bogey on the first hole. Three birdies on the front side got him to 1-over at the turn. But then he struggled on the back nine with bogeys on the 10th, 11th, 16th and 18th holes. After two rounds, Woods is 5-over on the back nine.
“I hit a lot of good shots and made a few putts,” Woods said. “But I missed my share as well. I had my chances to go low. I just didn’t do it.”
Woods seemed to be on his game coming into the tournament, having finished first or second in 10 of his last 11 tournaments. But his putter has been failing him on the slick greens at Augusta National.
“I’m hitting the ball just as well, I’m just not making as many putts,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, that’s what you need to do around here. I’m pretty pleased the way I’m driving it and my iron play is pretty solid. I’m just not getting the ball in the hole as well as I should.”
Woods will go off in one of the early groups today, offering him a chance to post a low number to get him back in contention. But Woods has now played 10 straight rounds here without breaking 70. He hasn’t shot in the 60s since his final round in winning the 1997 Masters.
“I just need to go out there and just play solid,” Woods said. “If I get it going, great. If I don’t, I hope I get it going sometime.”