It was a tough Saturday for Tiger Woods, but he still managed to flash at least one of his trademark grins.
Woods, who shot a 9-over 79 in brutal conditions at Southern Hills Country Club, birdied the par-4 15th. The lone circle on the scorecard, after he drained a 36-footer, came to the excitement of the assembled fans.
Woods took his index finger to his tongue and tapped the air, as if to say, ‘there’s one.’
Woods rallied down the stretch on Friday to make the cut, going 1-under for his final five holes. But by his own admission, Woods knew he didn’t play well in the third round. Neither Mother Nature nor luck was on his side.
“I didn't hit the ball very well and got off to not the start I needed to get off to. I thought I hit a good tee shot down (the par-4 2nd) and ended up in the water, and just never really got any kind of momentum on my side.”
Woods is just 15 months removed from a horrific car accident. The PGA Championship marks his second start of the year after he also found the weekend at the Masters.
Still, Woods made the cut at Southern Hills, the site of his 2007 PGA Championship win, and hasn’t stopped fighting. That effort is commendable, and not at all surprising from the four-time PGA Champion.
Woods’ playing partner on Saturday, Shaun Norris, shot a 4-over 74. Norris, who said Woods was an idol of his growing up in South Africa, has made three cuts at major championships in his career. Two of those times he’s been grouped with Woods in his third round.
“It was a lot easier this time to handle it… but it’s not easy. They’re all rooting for Tiger, for me, and it’s such a pleasure to go through that and experience that type of round,” said Norris. “He’s such a phenomenal player and you feel so sorry for him having to go through this, but then again you see the type of person he is. He grinds through everything, and he pushes himself through all the pain. It’s not easy to see a guy like that go through that and struggle with that.
“To show the amount of guts he’s got, to actually push through and even to make the cut this week, is phenomenal.”
