What was Tiger Woods’s round like on Saturday at Carnoustie? Let’s let him sum it up. “That was good. That was good. I played well today. I really did. I hit a lot of good shots.”
So began Woods’s post-round presser after he posted a five-under 66 to vault into contention at the British Open. Here are the numbers you need to know from the day’s action.
76
That’s the percent of fairways Woods has hit through three rounds. Don’t freak out, but Woods is actually leading the field in driving accuracy this week, tied with Bernhard Langer and Marcus Kinhult. That conservative approach is paying off in one category, at least. Speaking of which…
6
Number of drivers Woods hit off the tee in Saturday’s third round; time to let the big dog eat! Six may not sound like a ton of drivers but consider this: he hit the big stick just once on Thursday and three times Friday.
29
Number of putts Woods took during his six-birdie effort Saturday; that’s equal to his effort Thursday and a lower number than Friday, when he took 32 putts. This is Woods’s second competitive event using his new TaylorMade putter.
4:13
That would be the local time when Woods made a two-putt birdie at the par-5 14th hole to take a share of the lead at six under par.
2,660
Number of days since Woods last posted a score as low as Saturday’s 66 at a major. He last shot 66 in the second round of the 2011 Masters.
0
Number of double bogeys or worse through three rounds. That’s crucial to surviving Carnoustie and it’s partly a byproduct of Woods’s game plan and execution, plus a little bit of excellent luck.
11
Years to the day since Woods shot a weekend round in the 60s at a British Open. This 66 bettered Woods’s 69 from 2007; that round also came on July 21, also happened in the third round and — you already knew this — also went down at Carnoustie (per Golf Channel’s Justin Ray).
68.44
Woods’s third-round scoring average entering the week; that’s best on the PGA Tour, which means everyone should have seen this one coming.
3
Number of players that actually bettered Woods’s score on Saturday. Justin Rose tied Carnoustie’s British Open low round with a seven-under 64, while Francesco Molinari and Yusaku Miyazato each posted 65s. There were birdies abound at Carnoustie’s third round.
