AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods’ second spherical on the Masters on Friday appeared like a continuing trip from one finish of the success spectrum to the opposite, his fortunes altering at an virtually dizzying tempo throughout one stretch of the afternoon.

Not his greatest, not his worst, however loads ok, particularly contemplating what he’s been by means of within the 14 or so months for the reason that automotive crash that nearly price him his proper leg.

You’ll be able to watch Spherical 3 of the 2022 Masters Saturday on KHOU 11 from 2 to six p.m.

Taking part in in his first aggressive occasion towards tour professionals in virtually 18 months, Woods’ comeback look on the Masters will stretch into the weekend. His spherical of 2-over 74 on Friday left him at 1 over for the match and tied for nineteenth place — although 9 pictures behind runaway chief Scottie Scheffler.

“Made the lower on one leg,” caddie Joe LaCava stated afterward, whereas Woods was signing his card and making ready for a post-round go to to Butler Cabin. “Wasn’t so unhealthy, was it?”

LaCava was providing the correct perspective. Any golf that Woods performs for the remainder of his life will mainly be a bonus. The Previous Tiger would have hated a day the place he had 4 birdies and 6 bogeys at Augusta Nationwide. The New Tiger definitely didn’t rejoice the way in which his scorecard regarded because the solar began to fall over the Masters on Friday night time, however he accepted the place he was.

“It was a superb combat,” Woods stated. “I bought again within the ballgame. I’m 4 pictures again of second.”

The day changed into a little bit of a salvage operation after 4 bogeys in his first 5 holes.

The topsy-turvy, good-bad, wildly fluctuating a part of the day began with a birdie on the par-5 eighth, adopted by a disappointing par on the par-4 ninth when his strategy from 143 yards went to this point proper that he dropped his 9-iron on the follow-through. That was adopted by maybe his gutsiest shot of the spherical, his second on the downhill par-4 tenth, when he went on the pin, caught his strategy from simply exterior of 200 yards and made one in every of solely 10 sub-par scores that gap yielded all day.

“I may have simply kicked myself out of the match at this time, however I stored myself in it,” Woods stated.

Bogey adopted at 11, bogey adopted at 12, birdie adopted at 13, birdie adopted at 14. The roller-coaster stopped there, 4 pars coming in completed his afternoon — Woods lamented leaving some birdies on the market, particularly on the par-3 sixteenth — and he’s taking part in the weekend.

Woods bought to Augusta Nationwide on Sunday. He wouldn’t say when the final time was that he performed this a lot golf in a weeklong interval — “It’s been years,” was all he would provide — and he’s made no secret that his rebuilt leg and fused again are by no means going to be the way in which they as soon as have been.

The scoreboard says his place isn’t superb, since trailing 18 different gamers with 36 holes left may by no means be known as superb.

His historical past, nevertheless, suggests it’s not as damning as it’d look. Over his final 18 appearances on the Masters, Woods has moved up on the weekend 13 occasions. “Gentle bulb moments,” he calls them.

“You’ve seen guys do it with an opportunity going into the again 9,” Woods stated. “If you’re inside 5 or 6 going into the again 9, something can occur. I have to get myself there. That’s the important thing. I have to get myself there.”

It’s been finished. Usually, truly.

He’s made weekend strikes that noticed him end 4 rounds at the least 11 locations up the leaderboard than he was after two rounds a half-dozen occasions. And admittedly, in a few of the years the place he didn’t make an enormous weekend transfer, he didn’t have that far to climb anyway — since he was already close to the highest of the standings.

“I’m happy with the truth that my complete group bought me into this place,” Woods stated. “We labored laborious to get me right here to the place I had a possibility after which to not have, as I stated, any setbacks this week, and we haven’t. Stored progressing.”