Tiger Woods' woes continue at Cog Hill
GOLF: CHICAGO, Sept 11 (AFP) - Tiger Woods' chances of
reaching the Tour Championship, the finale of the US PGA Tour's FedEx
Cup playoffs, dimmed further Friday with a lackluster second round at
the BMW Championship.
The world number one needed to make a move up the leaderboard but
instead failed to break par for the second straight day.
Woods posted a one-over 72, and for the second consecutive round had
a double bogey on his card.
He was tied for 40th at three-over, nine shots behind halfway leaders
Matt Kuchar and Charlie Wi of South Korea. He must finish around fifth
to be among the top 30 players in FedEx Cup standings who will advance
to the Tour Championship, where they have a chance to battle for the 10
million-dollar playoff bonus.
Woods is the defending champion and a five-time winner at Cog Hill, a
public course in suburban Chicago.
The last time Woods opened with consecutive over-par rounds here was
in 1994, when he was an 18-year-old amateur.
Woods, in the process of changing his swing, fell prey to the
inconsistency that such a process can bring.
"I'm caught right between takeaways, and I hit some bad shots around
the greens because of it," Woods said. "It'll come around. I just need
more time, more practice."
Woods insisted he could still gain a Tour Championship berth.
"I did it last year on the weekend," said Woods, who shot a
course-record 62 on Saturday on his way to the BMW title last year.
"Hopefully, I can do it again."
Woods, whose entire season has been overshadowed by the sex scandal
that engulfed him last November, eventually leading to divorce from
ex-wife Elin Nordegren, said on Wednesday that he didn't have the time
or energy to begin revamping his game earlier in the season.
He parting with swing coach Hank Haney in May and began working with
Canadian swing coach Sean Foley in August. While he feels comfortable
with Foley's recommendations, they aren't yet automatic. "Even if I have
to hit creative shots out of the trees, I still have to do it according
to the new framework," Woods said.
"I've been through this process before so I understand it. I've just
got to be patient." |
