Cautious Woods ready for challenge ahead
Tiger Woods refused to take anything for granted despite treating the Hoylake galleries to a brilliant display of controlled shot making.
The world’s greatest golfer shot a second round 65 which included a spectacular eagle on the 14th for a 12-under-par halfway total of 132 at The Open to take a step closer to his 11th major title.
But while the galleries saluted the man chasing Jack Nicklaus’ 18-major record, Woods was cautious.
He said: “I’m not here with the jug. We’ve got 36 more holes to go. Unless there’s some kind of a rain storm coming in and it’s cancelled after two days we have a long way to go.
“I just know that I have my own things I need to take care of out there. I’m just going to play one shot at a time and I’m sure the rest of the guys are going to do the same thing.”
For Woods, one of the world’s longest hitters, that means sticking to an uncharacteristic strategy of caution off the tee, trusting the precision of his irons, steering clear of Hoylake’s copious bunkers.
He said: “If I can fly those bunkers I can and will. If I feel I can’t I’ll lay short of them and just hit my three, four, five iron into the green and move on.
“I really felt I controlled my flight. I was able to shape the ball both ways and really control my traj (trajectory). When you’re doing that, if you look at most of my shots, they were pin-high. It’s awfully nice to do that on a links golf course. It’s not easy to do.”
Woods admitted he was enjoying the challenge of Hoylake and the fact that it called for imagination and creative shot-making.
He said: “There are so many ways of playing the golf course. You have the option of playing the way I am. You have the way of playing the way John Daly is playing. Or somewhere in between, trying to roll the ball between the bunkers.
“It’s a fun way to play golf. Usually we don’t get the chance to play golf like this. Usually it’s target golf. This week is so different. You’ve got to be creative and really understand how to control your ball.”
Woods also spared a thought for Chris DiMarco, his friend and American rival who also shot a 65 for a nine-under-par total of 135.
DiMarco is still mourning the recent death of his mother, just as Woods is coming to terms with being without his late father and golfing mentor Earl.
Woods said: “We couldn’t care less about the Ryder Cup. It’s about dealing with coming back after the death of his mom and even playing in a golf tournament.
“It’s not about the Ryder Cup. It’s not about the British Open. I just went through it myself.
“I don’t mean that in a negative way about any golf tournament but family means a lot more than any tournament. It’s nice to see him out there and playing well again.”
