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NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – A 62 with seven birdies and an eagle. The old Cameron Scotty putter in the bag, for comfort and reassurance. A day of rest after a long stretch of golf.
Tiger Woods on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club, where he got off to a rare start at a 2018 tournament and found himself atop the leaderboard with Rory McIloy at the BMW Championship.
But before we go expecting some epic duel with McIlroy this weekend or even an 80th PGA Tour victory, it is better to put it in perspective.
"Solid but not spectacular," his "How Woods" caddy, Joe LaCava, "described the round." While that might seem harsh, it was his way of achieving expectations and acknowledging what Woods faced.
"It was very solid, do not get me wrong," "LaCava said." But it was there to be had. You still have to hit the shots and make the putts. But if you're hitting the shots, it could be had. "
McIlroy proved that, as well, matching Woods' 62 that for a time appeared destined to be a sub-60 score. Four players shot 64. And 48 of the 69 players in the field are under by.
Aronimink, which hosted the 1962 PGA Championship and will again in 2027 – and is where Woods did not break into four rounds when the AT & T was played here.
"This golf course is meant to be a little firmer than what it is," McIlroy said. "It started to be a little late, but when the fairways are still pretty, all these guys are going to make birdies.
"If you carry it 300, 310 off the tee, it's a massive advantage." The fairways are so wide it does not really matter. to be very disciplined to take some of the slopes. "
Woods would not want to get into a bombers contest with McIlroy, nor with Justin Thomas for that matter – even if he is still able to get to the ball out there himself. Woods hit 12 drives that traveled at least 300 yards, an impressive number for someone who is 42 and with four back surgeries in his not-so-distant past.
And Woods is not exactly suited for a shootout. He is far better served by this stage of his career, where he manages to be successful, where managing his game and grinding out tough is the key to success.
That said, he shot that low score on Thursday and he made a bunch of putts after putting the Scotty Cameron back in his bag. Despite oppressive heat, he never appeared and was hitting strong shots until the end. Taking Wednesday off proved beneficial.
Perhaps the best news for Woods is that he finally did not put himself in a first-round hole. For much of this year, Woods has struggled to get off to a good start, whether it's an open tee shot gone awry, or early bogeys or simply indifferent play that has left him fighting and scratching after 18 holes.
Last week, he was 3 over by seven holes at the Dell Technologies Championship before shooting an opening-round 72. He finished the tournament 7 under by – but nine strokes back of winner Bryson DeChambeau.
Remember the PGA Championship? Three over by just just two holes. Then he gets back into contention, shooting a final-round 64 and finishing second to Brooks Koepka by a stroke.
Still, Woods has gotten a lot of energy this year during the second and third rounds trying to catch up. This was his third appearance in the 60s, and only his fourth under, in his 17th tournament.
"I got it off the ground," he said.
Playing with Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth, Woods made it look easy. He hit 16 of 18 greens. He took advantage of wider fairways and needed just 27 putts. He bested Fowler by three strokes and Spieth by five.
Unlike last week at TPC Boston, Woods also found his range with his approach shots, ranking second in the field on Thursday. And finally, I'm getting ready for the first time since the final round of the PGA Championship.
"I give myself good looks," he said. "I hit good putts. They did not go in [on his back nine], which is fine. I can accept that. I hit it on my line, and it drives me crazy when I was not doing that. But today, I did. ''
The result was his best score of the year, his best score since shooting at Firestone. Can it continue? It's too early to go crazy thinking about the possibilities, but Woods did not have any harm Thursday.
"We all benefit from Tiger Woods playing well," McIlroy said. "I'm happy he's up there. And it will be a great tournament if he stays up there. "
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