Improvement on the greens yields seven birdies and an eagle as Woods sets the pace in Philadelphia
Friday 7 September 2018 00:09, UK
Tiger Woods enjoyed being reunited with his favourite putter as he fired his lowest opening round on the PGA Tour since 1999 at the BMW Championship.
Woods won multiple majors with a trusty Scotty Cameron putter that he first put in his bag 19 years ago, and his decision to bring it back into play at Aronimink paid off as he carded a superb eight-under 62.
The 42-year-old made a confident start on the greens when he holed a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 10th, and he holed further chances at 12 and 13 before drilling a stunning 230-yard three-iron to five feet at the long 16th and converting for eagle.
Woods peppered the pin again at the 18th, a birdie from four feet completing a back-nine 29, and he had a 59 firmly in his sights when he rolled in another perfect putt on the first green to get to seven under.
But he missed a couple of decent chances in a run of five pars before almost holing a pitch for eagle at the seventh, and he was unable to get up-and-down to save par at the tough 246-yard par-three eighth after tugging his tee shot long and left.
However, Woods bounced back with a good pitch and putt for a closing birdie at the long ninth to set the clubhouse target at eight under, a score later matched by Rory McIlroy.
"The biggest takeaway? I made some putts and got off to a better start than I have most of the season," said Woods, who hasn't had an overnight lead on the PGA Tour since halfway through the Wyndham Championship in 2015.
"I've been monkeying around with that putter back home and in the backyard. It feels good. I know the release point and I know how it swings and my body morphed into a position where it understands where it needs to be to release the putter.
"I've hit hundreds of millions of putts. I've had it since '99 and my body just remembers it. Sometimes it works but it just feels very familiar to me."
Woods was also pleased to see an improvement in his driving, and he added: "My speed, my rotation, so many different things that have evolved throughout the year and have got better.
"So we've decided to go with more loft and go back to a shaft that I won with a lot and so, again, the feel in my hands, that's a familiar feel, that's a familiar flex point, that's a familiar vibration of the shaft. Those are all things that I used to feel and but now I think I'm in position I can do it again."
