x
News

WATCH: Tiger Woods drains long eagle, two birdies to bounce back at PGA Championship

Kevin CunninghamBy Kevin Cunningham
May 16, 2019
Tiger Woods stares down an eagle putt at the 5th hole Thursday at the 2019 PGA Championship.
@PGAChampionship on Twitter

Tiger Woods got off to a horrid start in the first round of the 2019 PGA Championship. But he turned things around in a big way to start his second nine, making two birdies and an eagle to get back in the hunt.

Woods’ first hole of the day, the difficult par-4 10th, resulted in a double bogey. He added another double at the par-3 17th, finishing the front at three over. At that point, it seemed like this would not be the week for Tiger.

But the front nine is significantly harder than the back at Bethpage, so if Tiger was going to make a comeback, the 1st hole would be the place to start. Woods didn’t disappoint.

After a wayward tee shot left him under a tree, Woods made a nice recovery shot, then drained a 15-footer to get one shot back.

He made it back-to-back birdies at 2, where he stuck his approach shot to a few feet.

When his tee shot at the par-3 3rd stopped just nine feet away from the hole, it looked like Tiger was going to make it three-straight birdies to open the front nine. But he failed to convert on the opportunity, settling for a par to remain at one over.

Fortunately for Tiger’s momentum, the next hole presented the easiest birdie opportunity on the course. At the par-5 4th, Woods grooved a 300-yard tee shot into the fairway. From there, he hit a 220-yard approach that finished 30 feet from the hole.

But birdie wasn’t going to cut it. Tiger drained the long curving putt for an eagle. Check it out below.

And just like that, in the span of four holes Woods went from three over and hurting to one under and hunting for the lead with five holes to play.

To receive GOLF’s all-new newsletters, subscribe for free here.