Justin Rose shot to the top of the leaderboard as the worst round of Tiger Woods’ professional career saw him all but fall off the bottom of it at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio on Saturday.
Rose fired a six-under 66 to go three shots clear at the top, but Woods’ mood could not have been any more different as his 13-over 85 left him six shots adrift of any other player on 12 over for the tournament.
Woods, whose previous worst of 82 came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in January, struggled throughout and was already nine over par before finishing with a quadruple-bogey on the par-four 18th.
Bogeys on the fourth and fifth holes and double-bogeys on the eighth and ninth saw the 14-time major winner make the turn already six over par, but things would only get worse.
The 39-year-old bogeyed the 11th, 12th and 14th holes before taking a shot back on the par-five 15th.
Woods then dropped a further stroke on the 17th before it all went wrong on the 18th.
He sent his tee shot into a water hazard, then found further trouble as he hit a bunker before finally making the green in five shots.
But his problems were not over as he three-putted before making a swift exit, declining to speak as he went.
Woods, who has insisted he is feeling better after recent back problems, had already had his struggles this week, opening his first round with three bogeys in the first four holes and a double-bogey on the 18th, but made the cut with a round of 70 on Friday.
Although Woods declined to speak, his playing partner Zac Blair - who carded a 70 - backed his one-time hero to bounce back.
“I’ve always wanted to play with him,” Blair said on the PGA website. “As a little kid that was kind of my dream growing up. But it was unfortunate to see him not play great.
“I thought he handled it great. He never got super outwardly emotional.... but I don’t think he ever got disrespectful out there. And he was always super courteous to me and friendly. It was nice to see that.”
Blair later added via Twitter: “I hope to get to play many more years with him on the PGA Tour and I know he will get back to being the best player in the world.”
While Woods played his way into irrelevancy in this tournament, Rose set about shaking up the standings at the top.
He carded seven birdies, with a bogey on the par-four ninth the only blemish.
Overnight leader David Lingmerth had an eagle on the par-five seventh, but that was only part of an up-and-down round of 72 which saw him drop into a share of second place.
After a birdie on the first, Lingmerth dropped shots on the fifth and sixth before his eagle, then bogeyed the 10th and endured a double-bogey six on the 14th.
He got shots back on the 15th and 17th holes to keep himself in contention.
The Swede will start the final round level with Italian Francesco Molinari, who had three birdies in a row from the sixth to the eighth on his way to a round of 69.
Jim Furyk is one shot further back, with Kevin Streelman part of a four-way tie for fifth on 10 under after a round of 65 catapulted him 40 places up the leaderboard.
Keegan Bradley matched that 65 as he joined a five-man group tied for ninth on nine under.
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