AUGUSTA, Ga. — Hit a good drive and you’ll have a wedge into it, but the approach into Augusta National‘s 7th green is never a mere formality.
The narrow, elevated green with its trio of bunkers isn’t simply picturesque, it demands a level of prevision that makes every birdie well-earned.
On Saturday, the hole was placed in what is perhaps the most difficult spot on the the green: flush with the front edge, guarded by the natural contours of the green on either side and beyond the hole.
Misjudge the distance of your approach and you’ll be short-sided from the front bunker on your subsequent shot, or worse yet, get hung up too far beyond the hole. That’s the fate Adam Scott suffered during his third round. From 36 feet from beyond the hole, his steeply-breaking putt tricked to 28 feet to the left of it.
When Tiger Woods played the hole about three hours later, he striped a drive down the middle of the fairway, but clearly struggling with injury in the colder weather, badly chunked his wedge from 101 yards out.
It was undoubtedly the worst shot of his week so far, but as Tiger often does, he recovered with what will quite possibly be his best shot of the week.
Twenty-two yards short to an elevated green and just five yards of room to work with as the wind whipped from behind him, Tiger opened his wedge wide and swung full. The combination sent the ball soaring into the air and landed softly on the green, leaving him with a tap-in par
Tiger Woods may not be at his best, physically, this week — and playing in the cold is a particular challenge for the 2019 champion — but him playing at all remains a victory. It’s the little moments like this where we get new glimpses of Tiger at his very best.
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