When you look up the definition of “Moving Day” there’s a picture of Tiger Woods’ scorecard from Saturday.
The 82-time winner on the PGA Tour is putting on an impressive show in his return to action this week at the Genesis Invitational. Woods danced his way around Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles to the tune of a 4-under 67 in the third round and jumped 32 spots on the leaderboard. After making the weekend cut on the number, Woods walked off the course T-26 Saturday afternoon.
Playing alongside Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Matthias Schwab and starting on the 10th hole, Woods made birdie on his first hole and added another on the par-3 14th with a putt from just off the green. He closed his opening nine with a handful of stress-free pars and then picked up steam again after the turn with a tap-in eagle on the par-5 1st thanks to an incredible approach shot from the rough.
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A roar nobody would've been ready for
The tap-in eagle putt moves @TigerWoods to T26 (-3) @TheGenesisInv. pic.twitter.com/PYZYNIuDva
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2023
Another birdie on No. 5 made it seem like he was destined for a bogey-free round before Woods hit a poor approach to the 7th green which led to his first and only blemish of the day.
“Well, my body is a little bit sore right now to be honest with you,” he said with a laugh after the round. “I felt like the way that I had been hitting the golf ball, the way I had been practicing at home, I can do this, it’s just a matter of getting around, how am I going to do that part. That’s where my training staff has been incredible.”
“I thought I was gonna be able to make a run today and get up there where I could maybe reach out and touch the leaders,” he continued. “I might be a little bit far back but you never know.”
After 54 holes the 15-time major champion seems comfortable and in control despite still recovering from a single-car accident that nearly cost him his leg two years ago. Competing as he has this week is just another step forward in yet another comeback.