The Loop
Woods' Torrey Pines bid inexplicably ends with a 79
By John Strege
SAN DIEGO -- The round that Tiger Woods played Saturday on the South Course at Torrey Pines was inexplicable, which might be why he chose not to explain it.
Woods declined comment in the wake of a 79 that ended his quest to win the Farmers Insurance Open for a ninth time on a course on which he has won 10 tournaments (including the 2008 U.S. Open and a Junior World Championship). Woods, in fact, won't even play the final round, a victim of an MDF (Made cut, Didn't Finish) designation. When too many players make the 36-hole cut, a 54-hole cut is enforced to keep the size of the field for the final round manageable for pace-of-play reasons. Woods finished tied for 80th among those who made the cut and bettered only Michael Block, a club professional.
It equalled the second highest score Woods has recorded in his his PGA Tour career. He shot 81 at Muirfield in the third round of the British Open in 2002. He also shot 79s in the 2013 Memorial and the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship.
His round began unraveling on his ninth hole, the par-5 18th at Torrey Pines, when from the middle of the fairway he hit his second into the middle of the pond fronting the green, leading to the first of consecutive double-bogeys. It also was the start of a seven-hole stretch he played in nine-over par. He shot 42 on his back nine.
(Getty Images photo)