Commentary: Tiger Woods shoots his way back into contention at Augusta

AUGUSTA

FOR 15 MINUTES prior to Tiger Woods remarks to the media Saturday, there were jokingly tense conversations about which media member was going to ask the first question and who could record the answers and even which direction His Nikeness was going to look when he gave those answers.

“Tiger Version Whatever We’re On Now” (6.4?) is back in contention at the Masters. Granted, contention in this case is relative. Jordan Spieth is doing a kinder, gentler, but just as dominating, version of what Woods used to do here – which is to say beating up on the field.

As good as Spieth’s story is, though, what you will hear the most about as you sit on your couch Sunday is Tiger. The world’s No. 111-ranked golfer is back from a two-month hiatus and brought his B-plus game with him.

“I think what I’ve done all week has been pretty good,” Woods said.

Other than his language, of course. Viewers heard two apologies for Woods’ mouth during the various broadcasts of the events. One properly used the word “horrendous.” That’s about even par for a Woods round these days. While he flashed a looser look during the practice rounds, he reverted to loose lips when his swing abandoned him. It happened most notably on the 13th tee.

“It was just a terrible tee shot,” he said. “That’s my old body pattern for a draw, with my new release pattern, and they don’t work (together). So I hit the big ball (earth) first before I hit the little ball.”

It was a dreadful shot, traveling 176 yards off the tee into the edge of the woods. After getting himself back in the fairway, Woods hit a 174-yard shot to 15 feet and made the birdie putt. For the day, he shot a 4-under 68 that featured birdies on Nos. 2, 3, 4, 8, 13, and 15 and bogeys on Nos. 14 and 18.

“Man, it could have been something seriously low today,” he said. “I had it really going, but at 2, 3, 4 on the trap there, and then stuffed it at 6, missed it, stuffed it at 7, missed it. Sweet up and down at 9. That was pretty sweet. A stupidly good birdie at 13. And a stupid bogey at 14. All-in-all, if you probably look at it, it should have been about two shots better.”

Coupled with Friday’s 69, it is Woods first back-to-back sub-70 rounds here since 2005. He is 6-under for the tournament, 10 shots off Spieth’s torrid pace.

“My goal was to get as close as I could to 10-under, if not to 10,” he said. “I’m going to have to put together a really special round of golf tomorrow, and you just never know. You saw what happened in ’96. You saw what happened with Rory in ’11. You never know around this golf course. Anything can happen. A lot depends on what the committee does.”

There’s no question – the course has been there for the taking this week.

“The greens have been slow all week. They’ve been extremely soft,” Woods said. “I’m making ball marks with 4-irons, we don’t do that here. That’s very different.”

It almost sounded like Woods was daring the course management to make it as hard as they possibly can. That would be the sound strategy for him. Another soft and forgiving track Sunday does him no good. What he needs is an old-school, hard-baked, torture test that only someone such as Woods with his A-game can make a number on.

“Whatever they set up I still have to make birdies,” he said. “If they set it up, big, tall, or they leave it soft. In either case, I’m so far back there I have to make birdies.”

You, dear TV viewer, can be sure you will see every one of them if he does (and even if he doesn’t).

This story was originally published April 11, 2015 at 9:36 PM with the headline "Commentary: Tiger Woods shoots his way back into contention at Augusta."