'Avoiding Cut Off' Woods: "Why Is My Putting Like This?"... What About 'Hulk' DeChambeau?

Memorial Tournament Day 2 Tied 64th, Finau and Palmer Co-Leaders, Rahm 3rd in 'Chase'

Tiger Woods is making a bunker shot on the 4th hole during the second day of the Memorial Tournament. Dublin, Ohio, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Just a 1m putt."

The 'resurrected golf emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) faced a setback in his '83-win march.' On the 18th (Korean time), at the Memorial Tournament (total prize money $9.3 million) held at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio (par 72, 7,456 yards), Woods shot 4-over par on the second day and fell to a tie for 64th place (3-over par 147). Tony Finau and Ryan Palmer (both USA) share the lead (9-under par 135), with 'Number 2' Jon Rahm (Spain) chasing in third place (8-under par 136).

Woods recorded 3 birdies, 5 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), his putting troubles began when he missed a mere 1m birdie putt at the 11th hole (par 5). Although he changed the momentum with a birdie at the 12th hole (par 3), he again missed a 1m par putt just right of the hole at the 13th hole (par 4). He added 'stepping stone' bogeys at the 15th and 17th holes and suffered a critical double bogey at the 1st hole on the back nine (par 4). He struggled around the greens, frequently finding rough and bunkers.

At the 2nd hole (par 4), a 2.5m par putt missed, and at the 6th hole (par 4), a 1.8m par putt also slipped by. Fortunately for Woods, consecutive birdies at the 7th and 8th holes late in the round helped him avoid missing the cut. His tee shot fairway hit rate was 35.71%, iron shots hitting the green was 55.56%, and he averaged 1.90 putts per hole. Being 12 strokes behind the leader, his challenge for the PGA Tour's most wins is far from easy. Woods said, "I wasn't feeling good," and added, "I'm satisfied with birdie-birdie-par on the last three holes," trying to steady his mind.

At the top, Rahm surged with a 5-under par round, emerging as a strong favorite for the title, while defending champion Patrick Cantlay reduced his score by 2 strokes for two consecutive days to sit tied for 8th place (4-under par 140), dreaming of defending his title. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) remained steady with an even-par round, tied for 21st place (2-under par 142). From Korea, Kim Si-woo (25) and Kang Sung-hoon (33, both CJ Logistics) are tied for 47th place (2-over par 146).

Locally, the 'cut off' of Rocket Mortgage Classic champion Bryson DeChambeau (USA) is a hot topic. Despite collecting 6 birdies, he also made 5 bogeys and incurred three penalty strokes, including a tee shot into the water at the par-5 15th hole, resulting in a total of 10 strokes and an unusual quintuple bogey score. Other world stars like Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, and Rickie Fowler (all USA) also tasted the bitterness of missing the cut.

Bryson DeChambeau is looking for his ball on the 15th hole on the second day of the Memorial Tournament. Dublin, Ohio, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

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