Tiger Woods Hits Second-Round 61, Misses History By Two Strokes

Tiger Woods hit a second-round 61 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational — just two strokes short of golf’s Holy Grail score of 59.

While everyone watching Woods was wondering if he would hit a 59, or 8 under par, the pro golfer was focused more on increasing his lead and setting up to win his fifth victory so far this season.

Though it’s possible the world No. 1 golfer was a bit disappointed he barely missed making history, USA Today reports that he denied being upset about flirting with 59.

Instead, Tiger Woods commented that he was happy to post a 61 and kept thinking about increasing his lead more than how close his score was to history.

The next lowest score was a 66 and the field averaged 71.1 for the day, allowing Woods to take a seven-shot lead on Keegan Bradley and Chris Wood.

Tiger Woods also commented on the crowd’s anticipation of him possibly hitting the record, notes ABC News. He stated, “Oh, they were excited. You could hear it more than feel it.”

The magic number of 59 has been shot five times on the PGA Tour, and Tiger made it look like he could be number six throughout most of the afternoon. But rather than hitting the number, Woods tied his career best.

Woods opened the round birdie-eagle and had two more birdies on the front nine. He also had four in a row to start the back nine. But as the excitement built, Tiger missed birdie putts inside 10 feet and 15 and 17. He also hit a couple of errant drives.

Given the small mistakes, it’s understandable that the pro golfer told the media he was “very happy” to post the 61. Tiger last posted a 61 at the 1999 Byron Nelson, 2005 Buick Open, and also one the Firestone County Club course he played at on Friday.

The score allowed Tiger Woods to finish the day at 13-under 127.

[Image via Tony Bowler / Shutterstock.com]