SAN MARTIN, Calif. – One of the benefits of going out in the first group in a weekend round is being able to play as quickly as you want. Tiger Woods, playing with fellow speedsters Louis Oosthuizen and Matt Bettencourt, finished the back nine at CordeValle for the first half of their Saturday third round in a smidge over two hours.
The express train screeched to a halt, however, when Woods & Co. arrived at the first tee to find the final trio of Paul Casey, Bud Cauley and Ernie Els waiting to start their day. With a lot to play for, the leaders were in no hurry.
On every hole, Woods’ group had to wait. Perhaps the longest delay, however, came on the tee at the short par-3 seventh. With time to waste, a member of the gallery pulled out the groupings sheet and shoved it over the ropes in Woods’ direction. Interest piqued, Woods looked down at the paper and perused the names.
A few second later, Woods said, ‘It’s Garrett Willis. He plays a little slow.’
On Friday, when the threesome was Woods, Oosthuizen and deliberate amateur Patrick Cantlay, they were tracked by the Tour for slow play for most of their second nine, when they were a hole behind for much of the time.
