Tiger Woods struggled in the second round of his return, but finished birdie-birdie-par to give himself a chance to play on the weekend.
DUBLIN, Ohio — Five months without competition, Tiger Woods was grinding over key shots and big putts Friday at the Memorial, and the 7-foot par putt on his final hole at the Memorial might have been just enough.
The goal on this day was simply to avoid going home.
Woods missed a pair of 3-foot putts early that shut down any momentum, twice missed the green with awkward chip shots in deep rough and had to finish birdie-birdie-par for a 4-over 76.
It appeared to be just enough to make the cut.
Woods said his back felt a little stiff while warming up and he couldn’t move through his swing like he would have liked. He said it was a struggle on a warm, calm morning at Muirfield Village.
But when asked if it was enough to keep him from playing the rest of the week, Woods replied, “I would like to have the opportunity to play tomorrow.”
He was at 3-over 147, his highest 36-hole score at the Memorial since his first time playing it 23 years ago. He was outside the cut when he finished, though it was likely to fall to 3 over or more because of the conditions. Even in still conditions, the greens are increasing firm and fast, making it difficult to get shots close.
Ryan Palmer (68) and Tony Finau (69) managed just fine and set the early target Friday at 9-under 135, leaving Woods at least 12 shots behind if he does make it to the weekend.
