Woods faces daunting task at Deutsche Bank

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Tiger Woods must make up a seven-stroke deficit in the final two rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Sep. 5, 2009
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

NORTON, Mass. -- All Tiger Woods wanted was a chance.

He gave himself one, too, when he shot a 67 during Saturday's second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship that included a red-hot 31 on the back nine.

"Now I've got to go low two rounds," Woods said.

The leader of the FedExCup may have gotten untracked on the final nine holes Saturday, but he still has seven shots to make up on the leaders, Sean O'Hair and Jim Furyk. That's the same deficit he faced after he opened with a 70.

Hence, the urgent need to take advantage of golden scoring opportunities at TPC Boston, which is playing to a generous average of nearly 1.5 strokes under par.

For much of the front nine Saturday, Woods was grinding on the cut line at 1 under. He got untracked on the back -- rolling in birdie putts of 7, 9 and 10 feet, then getting up and down from a greenside bunker at the 18th and tapping in from 11 inches.

So did the world No. 1 make any adjustments to the flat stick on the back nine?

"I really didn't, actually," Woods said. "I just started seeing the line a little bit better. You know, my speed was good all day today, I just started seeing the breaks a little bit better and I poured a few in there."

Woods' ball-striking continued to be extremely precise. He leads the field in proximity to the hole with his approach shots, but he's tied for 51st in putts per round after taking 29 on Saturday for a total of 59.

"I made a few par putts, I made a couple birdie putts here and there," Woods said. "But as you look at it, I'm close on nearly every hole. That's the way I'm playing. They haven't been lipping in, they've been lipping out. I had five lip-outs today. That's about par for the course right now."

Woods, who has won twice and finished second twice in his last four starts, including The Barclays last week, missed six birdie putts of 11 feet or less on Saturday.

"That's how I've been playing," Woods said. "That's how I played at the PGA, how I played last week, how I've played this week. I've hit it pretty good in stretches. Today is one of those days where I could have gone really low. Could have had a really low round."

Just like what he needs on Sunday. Woods must put the entire game on display if he's going to catch the leaders.

"I feel as if I've been hitting it (well) pretty much all year," Woods said. "If I putt well, then I'm right there and I win golf tournaments. And if I don't, then I'm still right there with a chance.

"But you have to make putts. ... The equipment is too good now. The ball doesn't move too much, and the drivers are so forgiving, the irons are so forgiving, that you just can't out ball-strike the guys. You have to make putts."