Tiger Woods is showing the strain of the worst year of his life, sports columnist Bud Shaw writes from Firestone Country Club.
A miserable year seems written in the dismay on Tiger Woods' face as the world's top golfer labors through a miserable week at Firestone Country Club in the Bridgestone Invitational.THE WOES OF WOODS
Tiger Woods shot a third-round 75 on Saturday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to stand at 11 over through 54 holes. His score sets a new mark for his highest 54-hole score in relation to par since turning professional. Woods had twice previously finished 10 over through 54 holes.
As a professional, Tiger Woods’ worst 54-hole starts in a PGA event:
+11: 2010 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
+10: 1998 Tour Championship, 1996 Tour Championship
+9: 2003 PGA Championship
+7: 1999 British Open, 1998 U.S. Open
• The previous worst position Woods has held through 54 holes at the Bridgestone Invitational was tied for fourth in 2003 and in 2002. In 2002, the event was held at Sahelee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., the only year it has not been held at Firestone Country Club.
• Tiger’s third-round 75 is his highest third-round score since a 75 at the 2005 Players Championship. His 5-over 75 on Saturday is his worst third-round score in relation to par since the 2002 British Open, where he shot 81.
• Saturday’s over-par round is Woods’ ninth in 87 career rounds in World Golf Championships (stroke play) events.
• Since turning pro, Woods’ worst pro finish in which he played four rounds was a T60 at his first event, the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open. Below are his five worst finishes in events in which he made that cut.
1996 U.S. Open: T82 (amateur)
1995 British Open: T68 (amateur)
1997 Memorial: T67 (rain-shortened event that only went three rounds)
1996 Greater Milwaukee Open: T60
1995 Motorola Western Open: T57
(amateur)
— PGA Tour
AKRON, Ohio -- Golf shirts from the Tiger Woods Collection retail for $100 in the Firestone Country Club pro shop. Hats are $28.50. Neither will help you play golf like Tiger Woods.
For the first time in memory, that's not a disclaimer as much as a selling point.
To match the game Woods brought to the South Course this week at the Bridgestone Invitational, you'd have to miss fairways, flub chips, quit on shots and putt as if you spent the morning hooked to a caffeine IV drip.
The only way this tournament could more accurately embody the tumult of 2010 for Woods after Saturday's third-round 75 would be if he were riding in a cart and that cart careened off the course into a fire hydrant.
Woods' 5 over round was his worst at Firestone since his previous worst -- 48 hours earlier. His 11 over after 54 holes is the highest relative to par since he turned pro in 1996.
"I drove it terrible, hit my irons terrible, didn't putt well, and it added up," Woods said before heading directly for the driving range.
For Woods to fix everything that ails him in one driving range session he'd have to stumble across Butch Harmon, Hank Haney and a hot tub time machine there.
Woods' assessment of his day doesn't quite cover it.
Whatever we've said about his temper tantrums and blue language in the past, it's preferable to watching him quit on shots. Twice now this week, he's walked up to his ball after a mis-hit and taken another whack at it without so much as a practice swing.
He was missing only a pair of John Daly's Loudmouth pants and a pack of cigarettes. That was never the Tiger Way. It didn't matter how badly he was playing. He grinded on every shot.
The latest example came on No. 8 Saturday when he left a short chip -- his third shot -- in the rough. He walked briskly to the offending ball, took his stance and hit it six feet past the hole. A missed putt and he had double bogey.
View full sizeThe crowds at Firestone remained supportive of Tiger Woods regardless of his difficulties on Saturday, mobbing him for autographs before a post-round trip to the practice range.A year ago, Woods made only six bogeys in 72 holes. He has 16 bogeys and a double in three rounds.
About all he has going for him here -- and it's not much -- is that Phil Mickelson stumbled in the third round and dropped to a tie for 10th. Mickelson could assume the No. 1 world ranking with a fourth or better finish, since Woods would need a miracle round to move up the required 40 spots to hold the ranking on his own.
"If Phil plays the way he's supposed to this weekend, he'll be No. 1," Woods said before Mickelson shot a 1-over 71 to trail leaders Ryan Palmer and Sean O'Hair by four shots.
Woods was expected to use Bridgestone to prepare for next week's PGA at Whistling Straits and better position himself for Ryder Cup selection. Instead, he goes off in the second group in Sunday's final round. His pairing with Anthony Kim says it all. Kim is playing for the first time after a three-month recovery from thumb surgery. This is basically practice for him and he's a shot better than Woods.
None of this should surprise us, really, not after the past year. Woods lost his marriage, his swing coach, his image. He's made himself a punch line, an easy target. In Thursday's opening around, the Associated Press quoted a golf fan hollering at Woods:
"You're washed up, Tiger. Give it up."
He's not washed up. We've just greatly overestimated him (not for the first time), in some small part because his return at Augusta National in April was so successful.
After the Masters where he tied for fourth, you just didn't think you'd see a time when Woods' golf game matched the spectacle of his private life.
But 78th at Firestone, 20 shots behind the leaders, going through the motions on a course he's used like a ATM machine?
That qualifies.