DUBLIN, Ohio — The world’s No. 1 player had just finished his front nine in 44 strokes — a stunning 8-over-par score that resembled something closer to what an 18-handicapper might shoot in his Saturday morning game than what a PGA Tour pro might post.
He had just taken a triple bogey on the 18th, his ninth hole of the round, and was walking down the first fairway to begin his back nine when a spectator standing outside the ropes yelled, “Hey, you’re going to wake up tomorrow and you’re still going to be Tiger Woods.’’
“That was the funniest quote of the day,’’ said Jim Furyk, who was one of Woods’ playing partners yesterday. “I started laughing.’’
For Woods, the 7-over-par 79 he shot in yesterday’s third round of the Memorial at Muirfield Village was no laughing matter.
Nor was the 44 he shot on his first nine, which set a record for the highest nine-hole score he has posted in competition (he has shot 43 three times).
Nor is his tie for 69th place, 16 shots out of Matt Kuchar’s 8-under lead entering today’s final round.
The 79, which came without a penalty shot, matched the highest score Woods has shot in a PGA Tour event in the U.S. His highest score as a pro was the 81 he shot in the 2002 British Open in miserable weather conditions at Muirfield in Scotland.
Before Woods’ 3-over-par 74 in Friday’s second round, he had played 42 of his previous 45 rounds at the Memorial below par. Before this round, he never shot worse than 76 at Muirfield Village and that was 10 years ago.
He is 5-over par on the par-5 15th hole in three rounds.
When it was over, Woods, who almost always stops to speak to reporters after his rounds, blew right past a large gathering of media waiting for him, telling a PGA Tour official, “Not today.’’
“He wasn’t going to tell you anything that you probably didn’t already see,’’ Furyk said. “Everything he does is under a microscope. We had a full camera crew with us the entire 18 holes, and every shot he hit I’m sure was taped and shown somewhere.’’
Woods later spoke to the PGA Tour official, blaming the blustery weather conditions for his woes.
“It was a rough day,’’ he said. “I caught the wrong gusts at the wrong time, made a couple of bad swings and all in all it just went the wrong way. I’m sure I’m not the only one who struggled out there.’’
That’s true. Just six players in the field shot rounds in the 60s, and the average score was 73.6.
Nevertheless, the most amazing fact about Woods’ first nine was that he shot 44 while missing just one fairway.
His triple-bogey 7 on the 18th hole came from 166 yards away in the middle of the fairway, with an approach shot and a chip spinning off a false front on the green and down a hill then a three-putt from inside five feet.
“He didn’t hit that many bad golf shots, but he got away with none of them,’’ Furyk said. “He just had things snowball on him and the putter on the first side let him down and that added a bunch of shots as well.’’
Woods’ putter has let him down often this week. Perhaps he needs an emergency practice putting session with Steve Stricker before the U.S. Open.
Woods’ struggles were a shock considering he is the defending champion, has won the Memorial five of the 13 times he has played it and since he entered this week having won three of the last four tournaments he has played this year and four overall.
“There’s probably not anyone feeling too bad for him today after four wins,’’ Furyk said jokingly. “After four wins, one day isn’t going to kill anyone.’’