Woods posts 10-over 82, career-worst at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — For the second day in a row on Saturday, Tiger Woods made Masters history.

Only this time, it was a mark the 15-time major championship winner was hoping to avoid.

After setting the Masters record with his 24th consecutive made cut on Friday, Woods posted his worst score ever in his 26th tournament at Augusta National Golf Club with a 10-over 82 in the third round. It was his highest round in any major championship during his career.

Woods, a five-time Masters champion, is 11 over after 54 holes and was tied for 52nd when his third round ended.

“The fact that I was not hitting it very good or putting well,” Woods said when he was asked what his biggest challenge was on Saturday. “I didn’t have a very good warmup session, and I kept it going all day today. Just hit the ball in all the places that I know I shouldn’t hit it.

“And I missed a lot of putts. Easy, makeable putts. I missed a lot of them.”

After starting the day at 1 over after 36 holes, Woods didn’t get off to a terrible start in the third round. The 48-year-old posted pars on each of the first three holes, including a nice save from under a scoreboard on the par-4 third.

Woods made a bogey on the par-3 fourth after he blasted a 38½-foot birdie try past the hole, then missed a 6-footer for par. But then he made the first birdie of the day on the par-4 fifth, sinking a 19-foot putt to move back to even par in his round.

Woods’ round turned into a disaster from there. He made a bogey on the par-3 sixth and a double-bogey on the par-4 seventh. On No. 7, Woods hit his tee shot into pine straw, punched out from the trees and pulled his approach shot left. Then he chunked a chip shot into a greenside bunker. He left an 18-foot bogey attempt short.

It was Woods’ first double-bogey on No. 7 in his 99th round at the Masters. After Woods played 23 holes on Friday because he couldn’t finish his rain-delayed opening round because of darkness, he looked tired throughout his walk around Augusta National on Saturday. He had played only 24 holes in a PGA Tour event before the Masters.

“I wouldn’t say necessarily mental reps,” Woods said. “It’s just that I haven’t competed and played much. When I had chances to get it flipped around and when I made that putt at 5, I promptly three-putted 6 and flubbed a chip at 7 and just got it going the wrong way. When I had opportunities to flip it, I didn’t.”

The round would only get worse. On the par-5 eighth, he pulled his tee shot into the trees on the left. He punched out and then hit his approach shot 40 yards short of the green. His chip shot was short, and he missed a 4-footer for bogey.

Woods was the first player to post a double-bogey on No. 8 in the tournament. It was the first time he had consecutive double-bogeys at the Masters.

Woods missed a 9-foot par attempt on the par-4 ninth for a bogey. His 6-over 42 on the first nine was his worst at the Masters and tied for his worst at any major (third round of the 2002 Open Championship).

“Sure, he didn’t hit it how he wanted to, but also like putts that he had, like the greens are so fast out there,” said England’s Tyrrell Hatton, who played with Woods on Saturday. “You guys, you don’t realize even a 2½-foot putt is just brutal. They’ve got so much turn. You start it a centimeter outside of your start line and it’s going to miss.”

Woods was stretching his back and wincing over after hitting a shot from behind a tree on No. 9. He was still turning his back on the No. 10 tee box.

When Woods was asked how much playing 23 holes on Friday took out of him, he said, “Oh, yeah, it did.”

Woods had consecutive pars to start the second nine. After a bogey on No. 12, he made a birdie on the par-5 13th with an 8-footer. Then he had four straight bogeys on Nos. 14 to 17.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Woods made 10 bogeys or worse on Saturday, his most in a single round in a major championship.

After pulling out of last year’s Masters tournament before the rain-delayed third round resumed because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Woods seemed determined to come back on Sunday.

“My team will get me ready,” Woods said. “[They] have been awesome. It will be a long night and a long warmup session, but we’ll be ready.”