Golf: Tiger Woods went in two lakes and 11 bunkers as he totally wasted what had earlier been a flying start to the USPGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. While Steve Stricker carded a record equalling seven under par round of 63, Woods went from three under and joint leader to finish 14 shots adrift.
There were only a handful of players below him at the final major of the season - the one he has won four times and which he was so looking forward to after missing the US Open and British Open through injury.
Stricker’s birdies included the 15th and 18th, two of the three that Woods double-bogeyed, and he led by two from Swede Alex Noren, already twice a winner this season.
Things had begun so well for Woods. He holed from 14 feet on the 10th, got up and down from a bunker at the long 12th and then struck a superb approach to four feet two holes later.
But the story started to change on the 15th, a controversial 260-yard par three with water right. Woods found the lake, took five like Luke Donald had just ahead of him and then dropped another shot at the next after going from bunker to rough and then into more sand.
He was in two more bunkers on the 18th for a double bogey six, another on the first for bogey, two more at the next for bogey and another on the short fourth for a further dropped shot. A birdie on the long fifth appearance to have stopped the bleeding, but not so. He went from sand into water at the 425-yard sixth and ran up a six before closing with yet another dropped shot.
Playing partner Padraig Harrington was himself struggling and finished on three over. The 2008 champion parted company with coach Bob Torrance two weeks ago to try to arrest a slide down the world rankings that has already taken him from third to 69th.
He also birdied the long 12th, but then came bogeys on the 13th, 15th, 18th, first and eighth as his problems became apparent again. A birdie at the ninth, his last, did at least mean he finished with a spring in his step.
At least they were doing better than Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa, who four days after finishing fourth in Akron crumbed to a 15 over round of 85. That contained a triple bogey six on the 15th and five double bogeys.
It was a much better day for 18-year-old Matteo Manassero on his debut in the event, a two under 68 that meant he outscored Sunday’s winner Adam Scott by one.
World number one Luke Donald, despite his double bogey at the 15th, finished on level par with, among others, Phil Mickelson who was recovering well from the shock of three-putting from only three feet on his opening green.
Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke were playing together among the later starters and while the former opened with two straight pars, Clarke would drop a shot at the second.
