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He was only two shots off of the lead after the first round, but thanks to a stellar second 18 holes, Tiger Woods is in the lead going into the weekend at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. A second round 61, good for nine under par on the round, allowed Woods to take a commanding lead after 36 holes. He moved from two shots back to seven shots ahead in just 18 holes. Not bad for a day’s work.
The elusive sub-60 round was well within reach, as Woods exploded out of the gate to move to nine under par in his second round through just 13 holes. All he needed was two more birdies (or an eagle) over the last five to join the five other men that have carded rounds of 59 on the PGA Tour. Alas, it wasn’t meant t o be – but I’m sure Woods is ecstatic with his second round. He managed seven birdies and one eagle en route to a clean card on which he didn’t drop a single shot in the second round. “I could have done it. The good news is I’ve done it before,” Woods said. “I felt pretty relaxed, if I hadn’t ever shot 59 before it would have been a different story. It wasn’t out of the realm of being uncomfortable.”
He had just about everything working in the second round, as you might expect from someone who shoots nine under par in a single round of golf. Woods had 11 one-putts over the first 13 holes of his round – that’s almost other-worldly. Unfortunately for Tiger, instead of the coveted 59, his round turned into a ho-hum 61. Poor guy.
The good news is that he’s established a relatively commanding seven stroke leading heading into the weekend. It’s unlikely that he’ll falter enough to allow the field to catch him. At least on the exterior, Woods is not granting himself the title just yet, though. “It’s the second day, we have a long way to go,” he said.
Yeah, Tiger, there’s a long way to go. But the rest of the field also has a long way to go to catch you. Well done, sir. Well done.
Carl Conrad is the Senior Golf Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
