Tiger Woods runs out of gas during Masters third round

A day after setting the record with his 24th consecutive made cut at the Masters, the 48-year-old five-time Masters winner established a different record.

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the ninth hole during third round at the Masters. Picture: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Age is undefeated.

Trying to finish his first official 72-hole event in 14 months, Tiger Woods ran out of gas and magic on Saturday at Augusta National.

A day after setting the record with his 24th consecutive made cut at the Masters on a gruelling 23-hole day in a gale, the 48-year-old five-time Masters winner established a different record with his worst round in 99 career Masters starts – a 10-over 82 that included two doubles, two birdies, three pars and eight bogeys in his last 15 holes.

What went wrong?

“The fact that I was not hitting it very good or putting well,” he said. “I didn’t have a very good warmup session, and I kept it going all day today. Just hit the ball in all the places that I know I shouldn’t hit it. And I missed a lot of putts. Easy, makeable putts. I missed a lot of them.” 

Woods admitted that the toll of his 23-hole day Friday – including a grinding even-par 72 in the worst wind conditions Augusta National can throw at you – caught up with him along with the fact he’s only completed 24 holes this season after withdrawing in the middle of the second round in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera with the flu.

He was still holding it together with a 19-footer for birdie on No. 5 to remain level on the day and 3-over for the tournament, but it quickly unraveled when he finished the front with a bogey-double-double-bogey run to shoot 42. His back nine 40 wasn’t much different with only the doubles missing from his card.

“It’s just that I haven’t competed and played much,” he said. “When I had chances to get it flipped around and when I made that putt at 5, I promptly three-putted 6 and flubbed a chip at 7 and just got it going the wrong way. And when I had opportunities to flip it, I didn’t.” 

Woods’ previous worst rounds were a pair of 78s on the weekend two years ago when he competed for the first time in nearly two years in his first event since crushing his ankle in a single-car crash in Los Angeles 14 months earlier.

Prior to 2022, his worst Masters rounds were 76s, including the final round of his defense in 2020 when he made a 10 on the par-3 12th hole.

Woods said he’ll lick his wounds, get treatment and give it one more go early Sunday.

“My team will get me ready,” he said. “The club has been awesome. It will be a long night and a long warmup session, but we’ll be ready.”