Friday, June 22, 2001
Woods off to rocky start at
Buick Classic
By JOEL STASHENKO
Associated Press Writer
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) — Tiger Woods is
in danger of missing a cut for the first time in three years.
Woods, who barely made the cut in last week's
U.S. Open, completed the first round of the rain-interrupted Buick
Classic Friday morning with a shaky 4-over 75, including a triple
bogey.
As he prepared to head back onto the course
for the second round, Woods trailed first-round leader Stewart
Cink by 10 strokes.
Only once in the Buick Classic since 1993
has 4-over been good enough to make the cut and as the first round
ended, the cut line was at 1-under. The top 70 players, plus ties,
qualify to play the final two rounds.
Woods has made 70 cuts in a row on tour
dating back to the 1998 Buick Open. The PGA Tour record for events
without missing the cut is 113 by Byron Nelson in the 1940s.
A grim-faced Woods walked past reporters
at the 18th green at the Westchester Country Club and said nothing
about an opening round in which he did almost nothing well.
Woods ran into his worst problems at the
par-4 fourth hole, when he drove into the woods and had to punch
out to the fairway. His approach was long and right of the green.
After chipping within 6 feet of the cup, he three-putted for a
7.
He made up a little ground by sandwiching
birdies at Nos. 7 and 9 around a bogey at the eighth hole after
missing the green with another iron.
Woods had all pars on the back nine except
for No. 15, when he again had to waste a shot punching out into
the fairway after driving into trees. His par putt from about
15 feet hung on the lip.
He missed a putt inside 5 feet on No. 17
for a birdie and could not get up and down for birdie on the par-5
18th.
Woods' 75 was his worst score of the year
and the triple bogey his first since the eighth hole in the first
round of the Bay Hill Invitational in March.
Cink, seeking to forget his nightmarish
double-bogey on the 72nd hole of last week's U.S. Open, closed
strong to climb into the lead with a 6-under 65. Finishing his
round on the front nine, Cink had five birdies, a bogey and a
par on his last seven holes.
Vijay Singh and Scott Hoch were tied for
second at 4-under 67.
Play was suspended Thursday after two long
rain delays left four holes at the Westchester Country Club too
waterlogged to play. Of the 156 golfers in the field, 37 finished
their rounds Thursday and 57 never hit a shot.
The course was playable Friday but soggy.
More rain was in the forecast for later in the day.
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