Tiger Woods was off to a promising start at the 104th PGA Championship, but a poor second half of the first round puts him in danger of missing the cut at Southern Hills County Club.
The 15-time major champion was two under after five holes and looked better than his Masters performance where he finished 47th. However, Woods’ struggles began as he bogeyed the 18th hole and followed with two more bogeys, suddenly putting him at two over.
Woods, 46, expressed frustration and was seen visibly limping and holding his right leg. Woods finished his first round four over, and explained how his start fell off.
“I got off to a good start, as you said,” Woods told ESPN’s Marty Smith. “Hit a lot of bad iron shots in the middle part of the round and late in the round and consequently, I just didn’t hit the ball close for any birdie putts. They were all just long putts, or I had to get up and down, and I just put myself in bad spots.”
Heading into the PGA Championship, Woods was -125 to make the cut and +100 to miss the cut, per BetMGM. Southern Hills was expected to be a stiff test for Woods, but fans hoped injuries would not hold him back, as his right leg will prove to be tough challenge to overcome.
“It has felt better before,” Woods said. “It’s a little sore right now, and we’ll go back and start the process to get ready for tomorrow.”
Woods last won the PGA Championship in 2007, but he was a long shot to win the major this year, currently 600-to-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook, and he’ll now have to hope for a strong round two to avoid missing the cut. Co-favorite Rory McIlroy, who was in the same group as Woods, is the current leader at Southern Hills at five under.
