[ad_1]
Tiger Woods faces Rory McIlroy in the final game of the championship, holding a three-shot lead and continuing his first PGA Tour victory in five years.
In just over two months, Tiger Woods will play a game against time with his long-time rival, Phil Mickelson. It turns out that the real showdown will come much sooner than that.
Woods will play Sunday in the final match of the Tour Championship with Rory McIlroy. It's been a long-awaited showdown since McIlroy broke into the PGA Tour, but rarely got through. The advantage lies in Woods, who enters the finals with a three-shot lead over the Northern Irishman.
Woods started the third round tied with Justin Rose for the seven-penny head. He was quick to electrify the Atlanta audience. He made five attack holes from third to seventh, bringing his lead to five. Two bogeys arrived however, including a nice save on the 16th when his first chip shot collapsed on a hill keeping the green, cut in the lead.
History is on his side as he looks for his first win since 2013: Woods has never lost a 54-hole lead as important as three shots in his career on the PGA Tour.
Woods admitted after his turn Saturday that he had come a long way since returning to the tour this year. In March, he finished second in the Valspar Championship, showing glimpses of his former personality that had been lost in recent years due to his back injuries. He says, however, that he is now a completely different player than he was in March.
"In March, I did not have a golf swing yet. I was always trying to understand how to play » he said. "My body is so different now than it was then. I have lived a lot this year to get to this point. "
McIlroy, meanwhile, shot Saturday a four against 66 that could have been even better. He missed several good bird opportunities while the poor continue to harass him. He ranks 23rd this week in terms of number of shots: he adds that he likes the way he plays and he must continue to put in good conditions.
"I gave myself a lot of chances," he said. "Five birdies, a boguey, it plays hard. You have to put your ball in the fairway, put yourself in position and for the most part, I did it today.
While McIlroy could not do a putt, Woods was doing everything. On the first seven holes, he put 70 feet of putts. Woods dominates the pack this week by returning to the Scotty Cameron model, which had already won 13 of its 14 major tournaments after testing a putter early in the summer. He says that although he had a good time with the putter this year, it's finally East Lake.
"I played with my putter," he said. "I had hot days, I had hot stretching, but I have not been constant day in and day out. And this week, I've been consistent. My speed was good. I see the bow of the putts. The best part is that I release this toe, and that this toe feels like you're hooking every time. It's a great feeling.
The Woods and McIlroy Association is one of the golfing fans since McIlroy won the US Open in eight shots in 2011. He even replaced Woods as the face of the EA Sports golf franchise this year. -the. They had duels in the past, including the Honda Classic in 2012, when McIlroy held a 62 by Woods in the last lap. But they have never competed with the stakes as high as they are this week.
Woods says he's looking forward to playing with McIlroy, especially because he's been playing so long since Woods came out.
"It will be fun," he said. "We did not do it so late because I was not there. He was there. He won a lot of tournaments. So, it's good for us to play and play against each other.
McIlroy, for his part, says Woods will be hard to catch with such a lead, but he just needs to play as he did today.
"Look, he's notoriously a big favorite. But if I go out and play the same way tomorrow, as I did today, I will not complain, "he said.
Rose, in her first tournament as world No. 1, is tied with McIlroy for second place at nine under-shots after shooting 68 points on Saturday. Unless she collapses, Rose seems certain to win the FedEx Cup even if he does not catch up with Woods (Woods needs Rose to tie for fifth or worse to win the cup). No other player is less than six shots.
Woods says he's looking forward to the challenge of holding McIlroy and Rose. After all, a year ago, it seemed like this opportunity would never come back. Now that his first win in five years is at hand, Woods recognizes that his job is not over yet.
"It feels good to have worked in this area," he said. "I have a lead of three strokes. I have a group of guys behind me who played well and who plays well.
"We'll see what happens tomorrow."
[ad_2]
Source link
