Rough weekend for Tiger Woods at Akron © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP / Gregory Shamus
LOS ANGELES, United States, Aug 5 – Tiger Woods’ bid to build momentum heading into next week’s PGA Championship unraveled with a four-over par back nine that led to a three-over 73 in the final round of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.
Woods, an eight time winner of the tournament at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, had opened with a promising 66 on Thursday, and was five off the lead before plummeting down the leaderboard with a 73 on Saturday.
He opened with back-to-back birdies at the first and second and after two bogeys and one more birdie made the turn at one-under for the day.
Then things got interesting.
Woods played his next five holes in four-over. His last nine holes saw two double bogeys, three bogeys, three birdies and just one par.
“I was just trying to be as aggressive as possible and fire at everything,” Woods said. “It was either going to be 62 or 72 or something in the mid-70s.
“I was just going to be aggressive and see what happens.”
It was Woods’ worst weekend on Firestone’s South Course since a 75-77 finish in 2010.
His even par total of 280 for the week left him outside the top 30.
Largely sidelined by years of back trouble that led to spinal fusion surgery in April of 2017, the 14-time major champion remains in search of his first victory since the 2013 Bridgestone.
