When he left the grounds Thursday after a career-tying best Masters first round, Tiger Woods was 4-under par (68), three shots off the lead with just two players between him and the top of the scoreboard.
When he returned to Augusta National on Friday for his 2:30 start time, Woods discovered that someone named Abraham Ancer had wrested the lead, that he was now five shots off the pace and there were 14 players ahead of him.
By the time the horn sounded at 5:30 p.m. to terminate play due to darkness, Woods was on the 11th hole of what had become an indifferent round. He stood at even-par for the day, still 4 under for the week and watched as the field threatened to rush off without him.
When he returns Saturday morning, Woods will trail the front-running quartet -- Ancer, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Justin Thomas -- by the same five shots. There were 24 players between him and the lead. He was tied for 22nd, jumbled in a group seven that included amateur John Augenstein and Frenchman Victor Perez.
The term for this in golf is: Not Good. And where is the defending champion now?
Hard to tell. Woods did not speak with reporters following his round. But on a day that begged for a charge, he stood still.
He spent the whole afternoon as if there was water in his gas tank. He managed to birdie the two par-5s on the front nine; he nearly canned his bunker shot on No. 2 for an eagle.
But elsewhere, he hopped from one problem to the next riddle. He salvaged pars with up-and-down saves on Nos. 1 and 3 but would have few good looks at a birdie putt all day.
He carded his first bogey of the tournament on the par-4 third hole, three-putting from 13 feet after an inspired approach shot. On No. 7, he missed the fairway to the right, sent a low recovery shot from under a pine tree into a front bunker and missed his par attempt from 12 feet.
He has come from well off the lead to win here before, but not in his 40s. He went 70-68 to open last year and was 1 shot off the pace entering Saturday when he won his fifth green jacket. And with Augusta National yielding some of its lowest rounds in history -- 47 players were under par when play was called -- a couple of casual 68s won’t amount to much over this weekend.
He’ll start play from the first-cut rough on No. 11, facing a downhill approach to a pin cut on the far right edge. The temperature is expected to be in the mid-50s. Good morning to you.
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