AKRON, Ohio – After tying his own course record at Firestone Country Club, Tiger Woods was asked if Friday’s 9-under 61 ranks among his top-10 rounds of all-time. Despite flirting with a 59 less than an hour earlier, he was quick to shoot down any such notion.
“Top 10 rounds? I don’t know about that,” said Woods, who will take a seven-shot lead into the third round at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. “Certainly it’s up there, but I don’t know about top 10.”
Friday’s round marked the fourth time in Woods’ career that he shot 61, and he now joins Robert Gamez as the only player with four sub-62 rounds on the PGA Tour since 1983. Given time to reflect, the 14-time major champion put some of his most memorable rounds on the game’s biggest stages near the top of his personal list.
“I remember I had four of them at Pebble Beach that one year in 2000,” recalled Woods. “Three of them were pretty good at Augusta in ’97, so we’re at seven right there.”
Even when offered a chance to open his list to the top 20 rounds of his illustrious career, Woods was hesitant to assess exactly where Friday’s round might stand.
“It’s up there,” he added. “How about that?”