FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Tiger Woods never looked comfortable at Bethpage Black. His practice round Monday, in the cold and the rain, lasted only nine holes. He skipped hitting the course Tuesday. Then he woke up sick Wednesday and decided to stay away.
He hadn't played a competitive round since his emotional win at the Masters a month ago. That was a concern, whether the layoff would lead to a rough week on Long Island. We have our answer. Woods never really found his groove, the rust evident from the moment he put the tee in the ground for Thursday's opening round.
So when he arrived at the course for Friday's second round, standing nine shots behind leader Brooks Koepka and dangerously close to the projected cut, Woods had work to do -- to gain some ground on Koepka, to avoid missing the weekend.
He did neither, spraying the ball all over the property. Here's a look at the round that helped end his stay at the PGA Championship after only two days:
No. 1: Par 4, 430 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Score for the tournament: 2 over
Let's see: A foot slip on Tiger's tee shot, a stampede of fans around his ball, a lie so bad he could barely see it, a slash out, a bunker blast. You know, your average opening-hole par. Oh, and Brooks Koepka made another birdie.
No. 2: Par 4, 389 yards
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 1 over
Score for the tournament: 3 over
Safe choice by Tiger at No. 2: Take an iron, hit the fairway ... except he didn't hit the fairway. That's such a bad mistake, which leads to a bogey on a hole that is playing under par for the day. Oh, and see if this sounds familiar: Brooks Koepka made another birdie.
No. 3: Par 3, 230 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Score for the tournament: 3 over
Tiger with a great iron shot, but another missed putt. He's just not looked at all comfortable on the greens. While he settles for par, Koepka gets up-and-down for par. Still no bogeys for him at this PGA.
No. 4: Par 5, 517 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Score for the tournament: 3 over
The first four holes in Friday's second round at Bethpage Black illustrate the difference this week between Tiger and Koepka. On the two easiest holes (No. 1 and No. 4) Koepka has two birdies; Tiger has two pars.
No. 5: Par 4, 478 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Score for the tournament: 3 over
Tiger rolls in a 10-footer, but it's for par at the fifth. He stands at 3 over, which is right on the projected cut line. Forget catching Brooks Koepka -- who still hasn't made a bogey and has a big lead -- for Woods this is now about getting to the weekend.
No. 6: Par 4, 408 yards
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: Even
Score for the tournament: 2 over
Tiger Woods still hasn't hit a fairway, but at least he has a birdie. He rolled one in at No. 6 to give him a little breathing room in relation to the cut line. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka is still 12 shots in front of Tiger after yet another hole without a bogey.
No. 7: Par 4, 524 yards
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 1 over
Score for the tournament: 3 over
At some point today, Tiger Woods needs to introduce himself to the fairway. Another missed tee ball leads to another bogey. Back on the cut line. This has been a grind.
No. 8: Par 3, 210 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Score for the tournament: 3 over
Tiger with a routine par at No. 8. That is not a word -- "routine" -- that has been used with him much in this second round.
No. 9: Par 4, 460 yards
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: Even
Score for the tournament: 2 over
In the better-late-than-never portion of today's round, Tiger finally hit a fairway. That it took nine holes is probably part of the reason he's hanging around the cutline. But what happens when finally hits a fairway? He rolls in a 39-footer for birdie. Golf can be so simple sometimes.
No. 10: Par 4, 502 yards
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 1 over
Score for the tournament: 3 over
Tiger back to his normal self. Missed fairway. Hack out. Wedge onto green. Missed putt. Feels like he's done that all day today.
No. 11: Par 4, 435 yards
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 2 over
Score for the tournament: 4 over
For the first time, Tiger is outside the cutline. Another missed fairway at No. 11 led to yet another bogey. Something to keep in mind as he heads for home: Bethpage Black only gets harder as you get deeper into the back nine.
No. 12: Par 4, 515 yards
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 3 over
Score for the tournament: 5 over
Tiger now in big trouble. A three-putt bogey leads to a third consecutive bogey and he now stands at 5 over. The projected cut stands at 3 over. So he needs at least two birdies over the difficult finals holes at Bethpage Black to be around for the weekend.
No. 13: Par 5, 608 yards
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 2 over
Score for the tournament: 4 over
Tiger needed at least one birdie to make the cut (maybe two). He got one at the 13th to move to 4 over. Still work to do.
No. 14: Par 3, 161 yards
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 3 over
Score for the tournament: 5 over
Just when Tiger gets himself back in position to make the cut, he makes another bogey. The big problem with the one at No. 14? That was a legitimate birdie hole. The next three are decidedly not, before one last good chance at the 18th.
No. 15: Par 4, 484 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 3 over
Score for the tournament: 5 over
While Koepka makes another birdie to put more distance between himself and the field, Tiger makes a par to stay at 5 over. He's still outside the cut as he heads to the difficult 16th.
No. 16: Par 4, 490 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 3 over
Score for the tournament: 5 over
Tiger misses another fairway, which again makes things difficult for him. He makes par at No. 16, but at this stage, he needs birdies not pars. If the cut stays at 4 over, he needs one birdie over the final two holes. If it moves to 3 over, he needs to birdie 17 and 18 to stick around.
No. 17: Par 3, 207 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 3 over
Score for the tournament: 5 over
Tiger with a two-putt par at No. 17, which means he has to make birdie at the 18th if he is going hang around the weekend. There have been 19 birdies on the final hole so far in the second round.
No. 18: Par 4, 411 yards
Score: Par
Total for the day: 3-over 73
Score for the tournament: 5 over
Tiger Woods needed a birdie at the final hole to make the cut. It didn't happen. He came in with such hopes and big momentum off the Masters win, but his PGA Championship is done after just two rounds.
Over two days, Brooks Koepka was 17 shots better than Tiger Woods.