Sport
Will this tour be Tiger Woods comeback?
Tiger Woods reacts to his birdie putt. PHOTO/Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Tiger Woods is in a place he hasn’t been in more than two years, in the lead on the PGA Tour going into the weekend.
Woods ran off four consecutive birdies early in his round Friday and made short work of the par-5s on his way to a 7-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with Charlie Wi (68), one shot better than Graeme McDowell and Jason Dufner at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
It’s the first time since the 2009 Tour Championship that Woods has been the 36-hole leader. He also had the 36-hole lead in the Australian Open four months ago and finished third.
Woods is a six-time winner at Bay Hill. He looked closer than ever to winning a tour event, any tour, for the first time since November 2009.
Wi closed with a birdie at the final hole to get to 10 under with Woods.
Before Woods’ surge, McDowell (9-under 63) was the story of the day.
McDowell faced an impossible encore at this time a year ago. He was the U.S. Open champion, the Ryder Cup hero in Wales, and he finished his dream season with a record comeback against Woods. He knew something was wrong when he opened with an 80 at Bay Hill and missed the cut.
