Tiger Woods probably thought he had encountered everything in professional golf until a freakish Friday at the Players Championship. In virtually the final acts of round two, with Woods heading for an early tournament exit, the most unlikely set of events handed the 14-times major champion salvation.
Woods found himself afforded cut-line hope as Justin Thomas, one of golf’s most unflappable figures, fluffed a chip at the 18th en route to a bogey.
Woods still needed assistance to move back inside the top 70; as provided unwittingly by Jordan Spieth. The Texan three-putted the final green, with these instances of non-deliberate mercy sufficient to hand the Players a boost by way of Woods’s involvement over Saturday and Sunday. Woods had finished his round five and a half hours earlier.
He had struggled over those 18 holes, his 71 most notable for poor iron play. His aggregate total is one under par. “I didn’t quite swing it right today,” Woods admitted. “I didn’t quite have the shape, ball flight. I didn’t have much of what I wanted.
“That’s golf, unfortunately. If we were able to put all of our facets of the game together I think there would be a lot more tournament winners out here. But this is just part of the job. We have to figure out a way to put it together and I have not done that consistently this year so far.”
Woods’s reprieve was in contrast to events surrounding Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had also flirted with the cut before finding water at the 17th, thereby all but confirming his exit. McIlroy’s 74 meant a total of plus one.
What ever happened to Webb Simpson? The absence of such sentiment in golf circles has owed plenty to cruel analysis; that he was a fluke winner of the US Open in 2012. Plenty of major champions are barely heralded, with Simpson a case in point.
Subsequent success at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the following year, meant back-to-back Ryder Cup appearances but Simpson had rather vanished from view until an extraordinary Friday afternoon. Simpson, who is still only 32, clearly has aspirations of a career renaissance having recorded three top-fives already this season.
Simpson took to the 17th tee as 11 under par for his Players second round. He had posted six birdies in succession as more illustrious names toiled in blistering heat. Galleries and competitors looked on in collective amazement.
Nervousness over the pursuit of a course record – or a 59 – was understandable, albeit Simpson held a seven-stroke lead over the field. He backed off from his wedge shot twice before watching his ball bounce agonisingly on the wooden green boundary and onto the back of the putting surface at fair pace. Next stop, the water. A double bogey shattered Simpson’s dreams of making history. It was to his credit that he made a par at the last without any drama whatsoever; water is again a prominent feature there.
Matching the best single round Players score won’t dishearten Simpson too much. Simpson has become the seventh player to sign for a Sawgrass 63. His 15 under par aggregate means a five shot lead at halfway.
“It was a lot of fun,” Simpson said. “Everything was working today. Putts I was just trying to get close went in and that gave me so much momentum. At 17, the wind seemed to be changing but I felt pretty good. I don’t think it was a bad shot, just the wrong club probably. I’ll easily be able to block that out and take the positives.”
Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Cantlay and Danny Lee are closest to Simpson.
Jason Day added a 67 to his 69 to move somewhat effortlessly to minus eight. The Australian’s danger was highlighted last weekend, as he won on the PGA Tour in Charlotte.
“I think when you win, you get a little bit more motivated to do more practice and hungry to win a lot more,” Day explained. “If I can keep pushing but be smart about it, I feel like can I win in bunches.”
