Is Tiger Back?

Even more excitingly, his short game and scrambling have improved drastically and is holding up against the test of Muirfield Village’s deep rough and lightning fast greens. These are all signs that Wood’s game is about to click.

Wood’s bogey on his opening hole was his only blemish on his three under front nine. Woods jumpstarted his back nine by holing out a wedge from 100 yards on 11 for eagle. He carried this momentum to the par three twelfth hole when he hit the flag, not the flagstick but the flag, with a pure iron.

Tiger Woods retrieves his ball after holing out at the 11th hole…

Tiger Woods retrieves his ball after holing out at the 11th hole during the second round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 1, 2018 in Dublin,… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

After a momentum deflating weather delay Woods would two-putt from there for his par. Woods would find his next birdie on 15 after another pin seeking wedge. Uncharacteristically Woods missed a four-footer on 17 for his par. He settled for a bogey and his only bogey on the back nine. Woods finished with a five under round of 67 to sit six strokes behind the leaders.

Muirfield Village member Jason Day was playing a bit of a home match this week. Day’s experience paid off with a pair of four under 68’s to get to eight under and join the pack chasing the leaders at 11 under.

Defending Champion Jason Dufner surprisingly missed the cut after rounds of three over and one over par to miss the cut by three shots. Jordan Spieth was another notable player to miss the cut at the Memorial Tournament. Spieth shot a three over first round and even par second round, to also miss the cut by three shots. Spieth was struggling off the tee all week with a draw and often a hook. He will look to sort things out with Shinnecock just around the corner.

Phil Mickelson will also be looking to sort things out after struggling off the tee in the first round. Mickelson shot a two over 74 in first round but followed that up with a strong second round, including a sizzling front nine going out in 30. He will hope to continue this play all the way up to Shinnecock in his next chance at capturing the elusive US Open.

Phil Mickelson of the United States watches his tee shot on the first…

Phil Mickelson of the United States watches his tee shot on the first hole during the first round of The Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club on May 31, 2018 in… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

19 year old Joaquin Niemann from Chile shot a seven under 65 with an impressive bogey free five under back nine in the first round. He followed up with a four under 68 to share the lead at 11 under with Kyle Stanley. Stanley shot a five under 67 in the first round and a six under 66 in the second to share the lead with Niemann. Both these players are proving themselves to be elite ball strikers.

Wesley Bryan, Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau, and Hideki Matsuyama are all at eight under par and will be chasing Niemann and Stanley at 11 under, but do not forget about Woods.

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