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Tiger Woods Near Lead at Arnold Palmer Invitational

By Kathlene Bissell

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 15: Tiger Woods shakes hands with Jason Day of Australia after their round on the ninth hole during the first round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By MasterCard at Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 15, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 15: Tiger Woods shakes hands with Jason Day of Australia after their round on the ninth hole during the first round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By MasterCard at Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 15, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Tiger Woods continues to run strong at Bay Hill, where he’s within a handful of strokes of the lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

You knew it was going to happen.  Tiger Woods is near the lead on day one at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a tournament he has already won eight times. His presence pretty much eclipsed everything else that was happening on the course Thursday, including the play of  the first round leaders.

It wasn’t a completely easy round for Woods.  He had good luck and bad luck, but ended up one back of Jimmy Walker, who was tied with Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy, half-way thorough the afternoon. (EDITOR’S NOTE: At the time of this publication, Stenson leads the tournament at -7)

Regardless of the first-round leaderboard, it was an excellent showing for Woods in just his fourth tournament in 2018.

He had six birdies, 11 pars, and one double.  He sunk a monster, 71-foot putt and hit one tee shot out of bounds. It was a little of everything.

Woods worst shot came at the par 4, 3rd hole where he hit a tee shot out-of-bounds and had to re-tee.

"“The OB is measured by the poles, even though there was a net in the way, but — and if the net was the other way, then I was able to be in the field of play and you could play it,” he said to assembled media after the round. “You look at the two poles, I’m out by probably three, four, five inches.”"

His second tee shot landed in some leaves and mulchy type stuff under a tree in the right rough. The trunk of the tree was partially in his way but didn’t totally obscure his view of the green. From there Woods manufactured a shot that somehow bounded up to the green surface.  In the end, it was two putts for a six instead of a four.

All else was Tiger-like.  He birdied all four of the par fives, always on his checklist.

“Today, all four par-5s were reachable if you drove the ball in play,” he added. “I didn’t drive it in play on 12, I just tugged it a little bit left, but the other par-5s I handed well.”

He was able to birdie one of the par threes, the 7th, with an unexpected 71-foot putt from the fringe.

"“I was asking for it to bite as it came over that knob, it was a little too hot, and it had to crash in the hole,” he detailed. “It was going down grain as it switched grain, and luckily, it hit the hole or else it would have probably gone at least eight feet by.”"

When the putt went in, he was momentarily in the lead, but that didn’t last.

Woods started the round on the 10th hole and finished on the 9th. There he had to work to save par from the greenside bunker.

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“I was in the face of that bunker, and I thought I hit just a great bunker shot to give myself a putt at it, and I poured the putt in,” he explained.  “I don’t like making bogeys, period. That was a nice save.”

For right now, Woods is working his way back to the winner’s circle and counting his blessings.

"“It feels great. The people are so supportive,” he said. “They have been right there with us and our groups, and not only supportive of myself, but of my playing partners as well. I think it’s been a great atmosphere overall as since I’ve come back and started playing again.”"

He reminded media that this is just his fourth start in 2018, and noted that the kinds of questions were changing. He suggested people look at what they were asking now six weeks ago. However, even he knows he’s progrssing.

“I’m starting to get the feel playing tournament rounds and that just took time,” he said.  “I’m scoring now, so I’m going out there and hitting shots and I’m scoring. I know where to miss it, I don’t have to really think that much and just going out there and doing it.”

Next: The Arnold Palmer Invitational is still a celebration of The King

Through round one, Woods hit 57.14 percent of fairways, 61.11 percent of greens in regulation.  His longest drive was 348 yards. He was two-for-two in sand saves and shot a 4-under par 68.

Everyone is anticipating more of the same in round two.

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