The Masters 2018: Tiger Woods highlights from Round 3

Here are the Round 3 highlights from Tiger Woods at the 2018 edition of The Masters.

Remember all those years ago when Ian Poulter said that at some point it would be just him and Tiger Woods competing for major championships? Well, this isn’t exactly what he had in mind. It’s true that Poulter, who played his way into The Masters with a win in Houston this past Sunday, and Woods were competing together in the third round at Augusta on Saturday, but let’s be honest here. Neither of them is going to come close to winning this golf tournament.

But that doesn’t mean that both weren’t out there playing through some tough conditions on a tough golf course in Round 3 of The Masters. Poulter shot a 2-over 74, but it’s likely that the majority of the gallery following this pair around Augusta were there to watch Tiger Woods, even if he started the day 13 shots back of leader Patrick Reed. Coming into the day tied for 40th at 4-over, here’s how Tiger’s day went.

As he did yesterday, Tiger went with driver at the opening hole and once again launched a bomb, this one going 338 yards. His ball did find its way into the left rough but he was left with just 106 yards to the hole. Unfortunately, as it’s been too many times throughout the week, he couldn’t take advantage and he found the front bunker. He hit a good bunker shot to about 11 feet but couldn’t convert the par putt and tapped in for bogey to drop to 5-over.

After making birdies at the final two par-5s on Friday, Tiger came to the second hoping for the same result to get back to even par for the day. But the hole didn’t start well as he found the fairway bunker off the tee. He hit his second to about 150 yards from the hole and once again found a bunker coming up towards the green. He hit another solid bunker shot to about 10 feet but his par effort curled left at the hole and he was off to a bogey-bogey start.

Woods seemingly slipped a little in the wet conditions on his tee shot at the third and went to the right, his ball blocked by the trees for his approach to the par-4. Hitting a low punch, Tiger again went into a greenside bunker. His third flirted with the hole before coming to rest approximately four feet past the hole and he was able to make his first par of the day.

Tiger hit a solid tee shot at the long, par-3 fourth hole, his ball coming to rest about 20 feet short of the hole. His right-to-left birdie effort never really had a chance but he made his second consecutive par to remain at 2-over for the day and 6-over for the tournament.

Woods found the fairway at the 455-yard, par-4 fifth and while his approach shot landed just 10 feet from the hole, it rolled to about 30 feet away and made another two-putt par.

Tiger hit his best shot of the day to this point at the 180-yard, par-3 sixth, winding up just eight feet from the hole off the tee, leaving a fairly easy birdie effort. He hit a solid stroke and walked it in for his first birdie of the day to get back to 5-over for the tournament.

Woods was off to the right a little on his tee shot at the seventh but still knocked it down there around 320 yards, leaving him short iron into the green. Another poor wedge left him a 50-foot putt for birdie, which he left short by about eight feet. But he was able to hole the par putt to remain at 1-over for the day.

Tiger found the rough with his tee shot at the 570-yard, par-5 eighth and came up short of the green on his second. With about 30 yards in, Woods hit a high pitch that checked up approximately 10 feet past the hole and drained the birdie putt to get back to even for the day and 4-over for the tournament.

Tiger hit another monster drive on the par-4 ninth and was left with just 143 yards to the back pin. He was very unlucky on his approach as it landed to the left of the pin and looked like it was going to be very good. However, there was just a little too much spin on the ball and it rolled back down the hill to about 35 feet. He gave it a good run for birdie but his putt just slipped to the right and he tapped in for another par to shoot an even-par 36 on his first nine.

Woods striped a 3-wood about 320 yards down the 10th fairway and hit his approach to about 25 feet. Once again, Tiger gave it a good run for birdie but left the putt just inches short and had to settle for another tap-in par.

Following another great tee shot at the 11th, Tiger gave himself another good look at birdie after his approach ended up 20 feet from the pin. The birdie putt was not his best effort as he immediately left it out to the right, leaving himself another tap-in for par.

After hitting in the water in each of the first two rounds and making bogey, Woods finally found the green on the par-3 12th and at least had some fun with it, laughing and raising his arms in victory in front of the large gallery. It was a very good shot and he had just 11 feet left for birdie but never gave the putt a chance, immediately going left. But at least he got in this time around with a par.

Tiger went looking for a draw at the par-5 13th but his tee shot went straight as an arrow and he found himself in the pine straw. However, being well back of the lead and wanting to make something happen, he actually went for the green in two with a big cut and did get close. He had a fairly easy chip with a lot of green to work with but did not hit a good third shot and still had 25 feet for birdie. He left that putt short and had to settle for another par. He certainly has not taken advantage of the par-5s this week.

Woods liked his drive on the par-4 14th, giving the crowd a little twirl, but his tee shot did just creep into the first cut but he was still left with a good angle to the hole. He hit a poor approach that came up well short and had more than 70 feet for birdie. He lagged it up very nicely and was left with a tap-in for par. Great effort from where he was.

Tiger hit his tee shot a little left on the par-5 15th, which meant he had to lay up on his second. He had a clear shot for his third but hit it over the green, leaving a very delicate shot back up for his fourth. He left that short, his ball winding up on the fringe, and missed the 20-footer for par. Yet another mistake on a par-5 and the bogey dropped him back to 1-over for the day.

Woods didn’t let the mistake at the 15th affect him much and he fired a dart to five feet at the par-3 16th, his best shot of the day. He made the birdie putt to get back to even for the day and 4-over for the tournament.

Tiger was off to the right from the tee at the 440-yard, par-4 17th but still found the front of the green on his approach. With about 40 feet to the hole, he again lagged up nicely and made an easy par.

Needing a birdie at the last to shoot under par, Woods found the fairway with a 3-wood at the last but hit his 180-yard approach just off the green, leaving him some 30 feet away from the hole. His birdie effort went about four feet past the hole but he made the par putt to shoot an even-par 72, still 13 shots back of the lead. When he finished, Tiger was tied for 41st, one spot behind where he started for the day.

Next: Top 10 shots in Masters history

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