Tiger Woods at AT&T National 2012 Tracker: Day 4 Updates and Analysis

No. 18 is a 523 yard downhill par-4.  Drives into the fairway will bound down the fairway and leave short iron shots into the green.
The peninsula green juts out into the lake and the pin is at the extreme back left for the final round.
Tiger was able to make his par at No. 18 and Bo Van Pelt made his third consecutive bogey to give Woods the win.
It is Tiger's third win of the year and will move him into the No. 1 spot on the FedEx Cup Standings.
This was a good win on a very tough golf course.
Tiger still has some things to sort out with his driver and his short game but his putting seems to be improving.
This win sets him up nicely heading into the Open Championship later this month.
Tiger will play next week at the Greenbrier Classic before heading over to Royal Lytham.

Players must lay up from the tee on No. 17.
Tiger has found the intermediate cut just off the right side of the 17th fairway.
He is hitting 8-iron from 172 yards and just got it onto the front part of the green.
Bo found the left rough and flew his approach shot well over the green at No. 17.
He was not able to get up and down and made a bogey.
Tiger had nearly 70 feet for his first putt and was able to make a two putt par.
Tiger will take a one shot lead into the final hole.

Par-5 No. 16 at 579 yards is the easiest hole on the course.
Bo went first and hit a 335 yard drive into the left side of the fairway.  He will have an easy second to the green.
Tiger has missed another fairway in the left rough. It will depend totally on the lie if he has a chance to reach the green in two.
He has 267 yards to the green and is just laying up short of the bunkers that stretch back into the fairway from the green.
Van Pelt only has 240 to the hole and has chosen a 6-iron to land just short of the green.
He missed it slightly and found the bunker on the front left of the green.
Both players will be forced to get it up and down for their birdies.
Tiger flew his chip shot too far and his ball rolled completely over the green and down an 8' bank. Tiger is dead.
Bo chunked his chip from a bad lie and still had to chip onto the green.
Tiger had to make sure he got his chip onto the green and ran his chip shot well past the hole.
He missed his par putt and makes bogey.
Bo Van Pelt still has to make a 10 foot putt to save his par from the back of the green.
He missed also and both players bogey the easiest hole on the golf course.

No 15 is just another 490 yard par-4 at Congressional.
The tree lined fairway has three bunkers on the right side.  The green is angled with deep bunkers across the front.
Both Tiger and Bo found the fairway and are on the green in regulation.
With just four holes remaining any mistake could be fatal.
Tiger was able to get a read from De Jonge and has 21 feet for his birdie.
Van Pelt will also get a good read from Tiger's putt.
The birdie putt dribbled into the front edge and Van Pelt will need to make his putt to remain tied for the lead.
Van Pelt made his birdie and they stay tied at -9 with just three holes left.
Good stuff at Congressional.
Van Pelt is playing with confidence and determination.

Tiger hit the low stinging 3-wood from the tee and found the middle of the fairway approximately 280 yards out.
No. 14 is a 467 yard straight away par-4 surrounded by trees.
Tiger hit an 8-iron 181 yards uphill to pin high right of the pin and has yet another birdie putt.
Bo Van Pelt is also on the green in regulation but quite a bit farther away than Tiger.
Bo barely missed his right to left breaker and tapped in for his par.
Tiger's birdie putt came up short and he has just short of 3 feet to save his par.
He rolled that in and he will go to the 15th tee tied with Bo Van Pelt at -8.

No. 13 is a 190 yard par-3 with bunkers guarding the front of the green.
Tiger hit a laser 8-iron just short of the pin and will have an uphill putt for birdie.
Bo Van Pelt hit 7-iron to the middle that released to the back of the green.
The 2012 AT&T National has come down to a showdown between Van Pelt and Woods.
Who will blink first?
Bo makes his two putt par.
Tiger has 13 feet for birdie which he missed left yielding another par.

No. 12 is a slight dog leg left 470 yard par-4.
Tiger chose 3-wood from the tee and pulled it left into the trees.
He is at the base of a tree and will have a difficult shot to even get back into the fairway for his next shot.
Tiger may have just pulled off the shot of the tournament!!
He was able to take a full swing with his 9-iron before it banged into the tree trunk.
The ball tracked right at the flag and the result is just another Ho-Hum Green in Regulation for Tiger.
Middle of the fairway is highly overrated. Right!
Driving the golf ball continues to be an adventure for Tiger, however.
He must find some fairways coming down the stretch.
Tiger and Bo Van Pelt both made their pars at No. 12 and move to 13.

No. 11 at Congressional is a long, 494 yards, tight, tree lined, par-4 with water bordering the right side of the fairway.
It is the most difficult hole on the golf course and has caused many problems for the players all week.
Tiger found the middle of the fairway and hit an 8-iron 196 yards to the back center of the green.
His 28 foot birdie putt ringed the hole and left him another tap in for par.
Bo Van Pelt was eight yards closer than Tiger and hit a slight draw with his 8-iron to within 6 feet of the hole.  He is looking for birdie at the tough No. 11 to get back to -8 and tied with Tiger.
Van Pelt rolled in his birdie and is tied with Woods once again at -8.
Congressional is playing difficult again today only nine of the top 18 players in the field are under par for the day.

No. 10 at Congressional is a long demanding par-3 with carry over water.
The next four holes on the back nine could very well tell the story of this tournament.
Tiger will take a one shot lead over Bo Van Pelt into the back nine.
He hit a high soft 7-iron that landed pin high and he will have another fast downhill putt for birdie.
He had to be very careful not to lose it past the hole and as a result left it short but another safe par.
The back nine at Congressional is very difficult.  It will take someone to have super human round of golf to catch Tiger if he just continues to make pars.
Bo Van Pelt stuck his iron, missed his birdie putt and settled for par.
Jason Day shot a three-under par 33 on the front nine and has added another birdie at No. 12 to get to -6 for the tournament and two shots back of Tiger.
Tiger still leads by one after 10 holes.

Tiger has chosen to hit the driver at the 602 yard par-5 No. 9.
He yanked it left again and will need to find a good lay up to set up a third shot into the green.
Tiger's lay up ran across the fairway and is in the intermediate cut on the right side of the fairway.
Van Pelt also found the rough and put it back into the middle of the fairway for his third shot.
He ended up just outside of Tiger and missed his birdie putt.
Tiger had a less than great lie and used a sand wedge from 145 yards.  It ended up just left pin high and he will have another birdie putt.
Tiger calmly rolled in his 10 foot birdie and now is the sole leader at -8.
Mahan made a long putt for birdie at No. 9, had two bogeys and two birds on the front side to get back to -5 and three shots back.
Adam Scott dropped another shot at No. 15 and will fall out of contention.
Tiger has scored well on the front nine but will need to find a few more fairways on the tough back nine at Congressional if he wants to collect his third win of the year.

No. 8 is only a 354 yard par-4 and Tiger hit his 3-iron stinger off the tee and found the fairway.
It will leave him a very short wedge shot into the green.
His wedge from 145 yards flies to the back of the green and he will have a downhill left to right 20 foot putt for birdie.
Tiger's birdie putt grazes the left edge of the hole and he tapped in for another par.
Van Pelt also found the green and has a long putt for birdie.  He raced his putt past the hole and made the come backer.
Bo Van Pelt is a very solid player.  He has played in 309 PGA tournaments and won over $16 million in prize money with just one win.  He has 5 top-10's and has won over $1.4 million so far in 2012.
Adam Scott is having a rough time of No. 14 and is looking at bogey. He did make bogey and falls back to -5 two shots back of the lead.
Brendon de Jonge also made a bogey at No. 8 and falls to -5.
The leader board is starting to sort itself out for the final nine hole run to the championship.

No. 7 is a par-3 playing under 150 yards.
Tiger hit a 9-iron to the middle of the green and will have a birdie putt.
Van Pelt also found the green at No. 7.
Tiger's birdie putt has huge break from right to left and downhill.
Tiger got it to a few inches and tapped in for par.
He will have the short par-4 No. 8 and the par-5 No. 9 to finish the front nine.
Bo Van Pelt was strong with his birdie putt and was forced to make a 5 footer to save his par.
Woods and Van Pelt remain tied at -7 heading to No. 8.

Tiger over shot the par-5 sixth hole with a 7-iron and failed to get up and down for his birdie.
He has to settle for a par and maintain his one shot lead after 6 holes.
Bo Van Pelt was able to make a birdie at No. 6 and is now tied with Woods.
Hunter Mahan made a bogey at No. 6 and is now two shots back of Tiger and one shot behind, Brendon de Jonge and Adam Scott.

Tiger now moves to the 413 yard downhill right to left dog leg par-4.
He found the fairway with a fairway wood stinger off the tee and has 137 yards to the pin.
His wedge was slightly left of pin high and he will have a ten foot putt for birdie to take the sole lead.
He made the birdie putt and now leads outright at -7.

Tiger finally found a fairway with a driver at No. 4.
No. 4 is a slight left to right dog leg and has not yielded a birdie thus far today.
He hit a 7-iron from 176 yards with a slight draw. Hit the middle of the green and used the slope to run back down to the hole.
He will still have a longish quick downhill putt for birdie.
Van Pelt has missed the green in regulation, chipped long, and left his par putt short. He now moves back into a tie with four others for the lead.
Tiger's birdie putt was again on track and came up just inches short.
Pars are a good thing today at Congressional.
Tiger's par moves him into a tie for the lead after 4 holes.

No. 3 at Congressional is a downhill 466 yard par-4.
Tiger chose a fairway wood off the tee, came up and out of it pushing it way right into the thick rough.
He is 0-2 in fairways hit thus far, not a good omen if he is to put pressure on the leader.
He will have a difficult time making par at No. 3 from the rough.
Tiger chose to knock down a 6-iron from a very bad lie and was able to get it to run up on the left side of the green.
Tiger's ball ended up pin high but 30 feet left.
His birdie putt was tracking all the way to the hole but stopped just barely 3 inches short.
Another par for Woods.
Bo Van Pelt split the fairway, hit a wedge close and made the birdie to take the sole lead at -7.
De Jonge gunned his long birdie putt 10 feet past the hole and will have a difficult par save.
His par save trickled over the right edge of the hole leaving him tied at -6 with Scott, Woods, Noh, and Mahan.
Bo Van Pelt split the fairway, hit a wedge close and made the birdie to take the sole lead at -7.
Adam Scott picks up his fourth birdie in his first seven holes and moves into a tie for second place at -6.

The players now move over to the 233 yard par-3 second hole.
Tiger struck a very nice long iron with a slight fade tracking right on the stick.
The greens have firmed up considerably from yesterday and Tiger's iron rolled through the green and back fringe into the rough.
Tiger faced a delicate downhill chip shot which came up 5 feet short.
His downhill par putt just rolled into the left edge of the cup for his second par of the round.
Hunter Mahan birdied No. 1 to join Woods, Noh, and Van Pelt at -6.
De Jonge made is four footer for par.
On to the third.

The first hole at Congressional Country Club is a 402 yard par-4.
Players tee off into a valley and then the fairway rises up to the green.
It will be hot and steamy again today in the Washington D. C. area with current temperature hitting 97 degrees.
Tiger is off on his third round.
He pulled his first drive of the day into the left rough.
Tiger had only 95 yards left to the hole but a very poor lie in the thick rough.
He did find the green with his second but will have a long putt for birdie.
De Jonge split the fairway with his drive and flipped a nice wedge shot into the green for a makeable  birdie opportunity.
Tiger ran his putt to within 6" and tapped in for a par.
De Jonge was not able to get his birdie to fall and his lead will remain at one shot.

The severe storms that swept through the Washington D. C. area on Friday night forced PGA Tour officials to close the golf course to spectators for Saturday's third round.
AT&T National is allowing Saturday ticket holders entrance to Sunday's final round.
The crowd should be loud and boisterous following Woods today.
If Tiger could get his third win of 2012 today it would be the 12th time in his career that he has had three or more wins in one PGA Tour season.
Tiger will tee off with tournament leader Brendon de Jonge and Bo Van Pelt at 1:15 pm.

Tiger Woods began this return to the top of the golf world last fall in Australia.
He had a sold third place finish at the Australian Open the week prior to the Presidents Cup Matches that were held at Royal Melbourne.
Upon his return to the states in early December, he won his own small field invitational the Chevron World Challenge.
Even though Tiger has not quite returned to the dominating style of play that he exhibited prior to 2010, he has had two wins thus far in 2012.
He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and the Memorial in June.
Both Bay Hill and Muirfield Village require a player be in command of every aspect of his game to perform well.
He has won over $3 million this year, is No. 4 in the FedEx Cup rankings and in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Tiger did have lapses a T-40 at the Masters, a missed cut at the Wells Fargo, and another T-40 at the Players announced to the world that Tiger had not quite returned to his previous dominating style of play.
If he could pick up a win here at Congressional another demanding golf course it would give him positive feedback and set him up well with the Open Championship, the PGA Championship and the FedEx Cup Playoffs in the near future to round out the year.