Tiger Woods struggled to a six-over par start on his front nine in Saturday’s third round of the PGA Championship, fading after a fight to reach the weekend despite his severe leg injuries.
Woods found water off the tee on his way to a bogey at the second hole and a triple bogey at the par-3 sixth and made the turn at rain-hit Southern Hills on 9-over par. That left the 15-time major champion sharing last place among the 79 players who made the cut — 18 strokes off the pace.
World number 30 Will Zalatoris, who fired a bogey-free 65 on Friday to grab the lead on nine-under 131, was one stroke ahead of Chile’s Mito Pereira, making only his second major start, as they waited to tee off in the afternoon’s last group. Woods, who hurt his right leg in a February 2021 car crash, grinded to a one-under par 69 on Friday to make the cut on three-over 143, but found only early misery after his fight to play the weekend.
A throng of spectators lined every hole to catch a glimpse of Woods, cheering him around the course despite his woes.
Woods made a 13-foot par-saving putt at the first hole but made bogey at the next and lipped out a five-foot birdie putt at the fourth.
After another tee-shot splashdown at the sixth, Woods hit into greenside rough and needed three to get down for triple bogey, falling to 7-over. Woods found the right rough and missed a six-foot putt to bogey the seventh.—AFP
