A fine six-under 66 second round powered Tiger Woods to tied-fifth in the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club here on Thursday.
Woods, six-under 138 overall, lies six shots behind leader Patrick Reed. It was yet another good day at the office for Reed, who recorded a second straight six-under 66. He leads nearest rival and fellow American Gary Woodland by three shots.
Woods roared into contention on the back-nine, making an eagle and three birdies. The eagle came on the par-5 11th hole, set up by a lovely approach shot. Woods used a 6-iron to land well short of the green, allowing the ball to catch the downslope and hurtle towards the flag. The Masters champion then completed the run by sinking a short putt.
Woods found the greens on most holes, and even when he missed, he was left with comfortable chips from friendly spots. “It was less windy today, which made it a bit easier. Scoring conditions were a little bit better,” Woods said after his bogey-free round.
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Woods’ partner Bubba Watson, meanwhile, made an error-filled one-over 73 to sit in tied-14th. Southpaw Watson generated tremendous power off the tee, but missed the fairways far too often.
Reed, who is playing with a new set of irons and putters this week, consolidated his spot at the top of the leaderboard. Reed will be thrilled to put these new clubs to good use ahead of a long and tough season.
“Today was steady. I hit the ball not as straight off the tee, but was able to keep it on the fairway. And from there I was able to hit some quality iron shots and make some putts. The biggest thing around here is you've got to make putts,” Reed said.
Defending champion John Rahm (eight-under 136 overall) moved up five spots to tied-third. His six-under 66 was only one of two bogey-free rounds of the tournament so far. Rahm is in great form, having recently claimed victory at the DP World Tour Championship to win a $5 million jackpot.
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