Tiger Woods made the cut at Bridgestone, which is better than some of his past efforts. However, any chance Tiger had of winning at Bridgestone for the eighth time is in danger, as he fell seven shots back after a mixed second round.
Woods didn't shoot pars for the most part this time, as he had four birdies. But he also had three bogeys and a double bogeys, and fell to -1 overall as a result. Meanwhile, the leaders are still at -8, as Ricky Fowler, Keegan Bradley and Ryan Moore all had hot days to rise up the leaderboard.
Scores in the mid 60's or lower have become quite common at Bridgestone, but since Woods hasn't gotten there yet, it shows just how far he has to go in his comeback. Once again, Tiger can't put together two solid rounds in a row, let alone four - even in a course he dominated at his best.
Rory McIlroy predicted that a top 20 finish was the best Woods could do, and now it looks like he is being proven right. However, McIlroy isn't exactly on top himself, as he enters the third round at -4 and four shots back of the leaders. He has a hard road ahead as well, although Woods has even more ground to make up.
Expectations were already so low that Thursday's 68 was considered good progress for Woods. But Saturday's third round is his last chance to raise them, before he becomes an afterthought at Bridgestone. However, since he is +1 through seven holes in round three, it seems like he will be written off shortly.
After all the buildup for Tiger's return, it is ending with a whimper this weekend. Yet no one can really be surprised by now, as golf once again has to rely on smaller names to drive interest at the end of a tournament. It can't use Woods as a crutch anymore, and the more he struggles, the more that the game has to wean itself from him.
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