Jul 17, 2015
Is the Open Tiger's last stand?
On a day when there was a ton of red numbers on the leaderboard, Tiger Woods was in the black. At a time of day when the Old Course played its easiest, he struggled. After what was a promising performance at The Greenbrier, when he appeared to have turned the corner on injury and swing change number five, Woods's first round at the year’s third major was his worst ever on this course.
By Bob Weeks
On a day when there was a ton of red numbers on the leaderboard, Tiger Woods was in the black. At a time of day when the Old Course played its easiest, he struggled.
After what was a promising performance at The Greenbrier, when he appeared to have turned the corner on injury and swing change number five, Woods's first round at the year’s third major was his worst ever as a pro on this course.
While the likes of John Daly, Paul Lawrie, Sandy Lyle, David Duval and Mark O’Meara were all at par or better, Woods could only muster a 76, a score that was better than just 11 golfers; which I guess is an improvement over the last major when he only beat two guys in round one.
It was bad at the start of the day – he fatted his opening tee shot and then chunked a wedge into the Swilcan Burn – and never got good. He was four over in the first seven holes and made just a single birdie, on the 14th hole, a downwind par 5.
“I made so many mistakes,” Woods said after his round. “I just didn’t play well.”
That, to a world of viewers, was obvious. Even his fellow players are showing pity.
“It's a little unfortunate to see him struggle like this because, I mean, it's just tough to see your idol struggle,” said Jason Day.
Even the American Association of Retired People, which on Tuesday, Woods said he was not ready to join, piled on, sending out a Tweet after the round:
Despite his belief that he’s close to turning things around, or that he just needs more reps, or has to just improve his “traj,” or he’s seen a baseline shift, or whatever else he believes, what we seriously need to wonder now is not when Woods will get his game back, but if.
If Woods will ever fix his swing.
If Woods will ever win again.
If Woods is done.
Signs are sure pointing in that direction. Barring some miracle round on Friday that will be played in real Old Testament-style weather if the forecasts are correct, Woods will miss the cut. That will be the third time in the last four majors he’s had the weekend off.
He hasn’t won one of the big four for seven years. He hasn’t won a tournament for two. Yes, he’s been injured, undergone surgery and battled underperforming glutes, but each time he professes himself as ready, he fires a dud. It’s seems to be one step forward, five steps back.
He remains resilient, even somehow believing he can get back in this tournament, despite the fact he trails Dustin Johnson by 11 strokes.
‘Well, I'm so far back and the leaderboard is so bunched that in order for me to get in there by Sunday, I'm going to have to have the conditions tough and then obviously put together some really solid rounds, something like what [John Daly] did back in '95,” he mused. “If you shoot some good, solid rounds in tough conditions like that, players can move up the board, and hopefully I'm one of them.”
One thing Tiger has not lost is his optimism. Or maybe it's delusion.
I’ve learned over the years never to write Woods off completely. When you think he’s down, he climbs back. When you think he’s out, he rallies.
This time, I’m not so sure.