Tiger Woods hits from the rough on the ninth hole during the third round of the Memorial golf tournament Saturday, June 1, 2013, in Dublin, Ohio.DUBLIN, Ohio - In the swirling, gusting winds at the Memorial Tournament, Tiger Woods had what even he termed a rough day.
Woods posted his highest nine-hole score as a professional when he shot an 8-over 44 on the back nine during Saturday's third round of the Memorial Tournament.
Woods walked past reporters after his round and declined interview requests. He spoke later to a PGA Tour official.
"The conditions were tough and when I missed it cost me," he said after completing a 7-over 79 that had him plummeting down the scoreboard at Muirfield Village, where he has won a record five times. "I caught the wrong gusts at the wrong time, made a couple bad swings and all in all it just went the wrong way."
His previous worst nine-hole score was a 43 on three occasions, most recently at Quail Hollow in 2010.
He wasn't alone. Playing partner Zach Johnson shot an 81.
"It was hard," said Johnson, who declined to discuss Woods or his play. "It was very hard today. There was a lot of wind."
The third member of the group, Jim Furyk, shot a 69 that was among the best scores of the day on a course that is difficult even when conditions are calm and quiet.
Asked if it was stunning when a player as good as Woods shoots such a high score, Furyk said, "Yeah, it is. He didn't hit that many bad golf shots but he got away with none of them, if that makes sense."
Woods had earlier rounds of 71 and 74 and now stands at 8-over 224 and near the bottom in the 73-player field. The 79 was his highest score by three shots at the Memorial, where he won 1999-2001, 2009 and 2012.