Wake-up call: Stormy forecast forces early start
Woods might, though.
He plans to wake up between 3:45 and 4 a.m. “to get the mind going and the body ready.”
Sunday’s action will get rolling at 7:30 a.m., with players grouped in threesomes, rather than pairs, and going off on both the first and 10th tees.
With a dangerous storm rolling in Sunday afternoon, Augusta National officials decided to take drastic measures. Like the ban on cellphones, nothing here is done halfway.
CBS’ coverage will begin at 9 a.m., 20 minutes before the leaders tee off in potentially flag-flapping conditions.
Woods enters the final round two strokes behind British Open champion Francesco Molinari. He will join the Italian in the final group, along with 29-year-old Tony Finau.
On Saturday, Woods mixed in brilliant ball-striking with a bit of luck. He hooked his tee shot on 13, barking “get through!”
The ball kicked safely into the first cut, allowing him to lay up and hit a dynamite wedge from 72 yards to 6 feet. He also striped his tee shot on the par-3 16th, earning a massive roar and a birdie.
“Usually the reward for playing hard and doing all the things correctly is a nice little (Sunday) sleep-in,” Woods said. “But that’s not going to be the case. It will be interesting with threesomes. And if the wind comes up like it’s forecast – 15-20 miles an hour – this golf course will be testy. You’ve got to be committed to hit the proper shots.”
Woods’ body was so wrecked by a combined eight back and knee surgeries, he was an afterthought in majors as recently as recently as two years ago. After a DUI arrest in 2017, friends merely hoped he could rebound as a functioning adult.
And yet here he is.
Asked if he’s immune to pressure, Woods said no.
“The day I don’t feel pressure,” he said, “is the day I quit. I always thought that if you care about something, you’re going to feel pressure.
“That hasn’t changed.”
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