NORTON, Mass – It was 8 a.m. on Friday, the last day of August, and first round of the Dell Technologies Championship and if you thought you’d get a good viewing spot on the 10th tee you were wrong.
Tiger Woods was not scheduled to tee off for another 50 minutes, but the bleachers were packed and the crowds surrounding the tee were six deep. The gallery did not mind waiting. They have waited for five years for Woods to return to the Boston TPC course in Norton, Mass.
When Woods climbed under the ropes, like a heavy weight fighter climbing into the ring, the crowd started cheering as if “Gronk” had scored another touchdown for the New England Patriots. The 425- yard par 4 tenth is a fairly easy hole, with a small stream winding through the woods on the left side of the fairway. And that is where Tiger hit his opening tee shot at the 2018 DELL Technologies Championship.
Woods needed to take a drop about 160 yards from the green, where he would be playing his third shot on the first hole. He exploded through the ball out of the rough, but with no backspin his ball rested against the fringe leaving a tricky 35-foot downhill putt. His chip stopped six feet from the pin and he was left with a difficult putt to scramble for a bogey. Woods made the putt with his new putter.
Tiger has won 14 majors using a Scotty Cameron putter. Cameron has designed putters for the Acushnet, Mass. company, which also makes Titleist golf balls. But he wants to win again and hopes to land a spot on the Ryder Cup team, so he has put a Taylor Made TP Juno in his bag.
Woods had to work hard on Friday to shoot a one over par round, but his putting was exceptional. “I putted the ball beautifully today,” Woods said. “I really did. I hit a lot of good putts, and just have to give myself more looks out there.”
At the post-first-round interview, Tiger told said he needed to adjust the loft on the putter and has been fine tuning it over a span of several months.
To me the Taylor Made putter looked very similar to a classic Ping Anser putter. But this putter has Tiger carved on the toe in bright red letters. You can buy the same putter for $219.00 but engraving your name on the putter is extra.
Woods shot 1-0ver par 72 and is on the brink of the projected cut line of 2-over. In round two Woods tees off on the first hole at 1:16. See you there!
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