Hope he makes the cut today:
http://www.masslive.com/golf/index.s..._for_good.html
Tiger Woods' struggles prove he's fallen back to the pack --- for good
Published: Friday, May 11, 2012, 9:13 AM Updated: Friday, May 11, 2012, 9:21 AM
By The Sporting News
Tiger Woods watches his shot from a 10th hole bunker during the first round of the Players Championship golf tournament, Thursday, May 10, 2012, at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.—Golf has settled into a new normal. There no longer is Tiger Woods and the rest of the field.
Tiger Woods is the rest of the field.
He’s just another guy, like Bryce Molder or Y.E. Yang or Davis Love III. Shoot, we might as well start calling him Eldrick Yang III.
He might win. He might miss the cut. He never really knows.
Woods latest step into normalcy was a 74 on Thursday at the Players Championship. It left him nine shots behind Ian Poulter, and the most damning part was the complete lack of shock his score registered.
“Just one of those days,” Woods said.
Another one of those days. There have been so many we’ve stopped kidding ourselves. Like we did after Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Even Johnny Miller declared Tiger was back. It made sense at the time. Then came the Masters, where Woods finished a career-worst 40th.
“I think that was a shock to him, and it really made him very human,” Miller said. “The Masters really hurt him.”
Will all the king’s horses and all of Sean Foley’s tips ever put Tiger Woods back together again?
That’s been the question for two years. The answer we’re getting isn’t a resounding no or redemptive yes. It’s somewhere in the middle, which is where most of the Tour resides.
Actually, Woods hasn’t seen that neighborhood lately. It’s been 10 rounds since he broke 70. If he slogs it around Friday, he may well suffer back-to-back cuts for the first time in his career.
“It’s frustrating,” Woods said.
The TPC course has never been a Tiger favorite. He has all of one top-10 finish since winning here in 2001. But calm morning conditions made it unusually friendly Thursday.
Tiger responded with an opening bogey. Then he actually birdied a par-5. He’s had a hard time doing that lately. Sure enough, he didn’t have another sub-par score on the holes he used to devour.
“It’s just been one of those weird deals,” Woods said. “Out here, you have to take care of the par-5s.”
Not to mention the 4s and 3s. If his name were Jeff Maggert or Josh Teater, we wouldn’t notice. But when Woods’ game goes into the teater, it’s a worldwide concern.
Is he standing too upright? Are his nerves fried? Is he too mechanical? Should he dump Foley and reunite with Butch Harmon? Is Phil Jackson available?
Everybody from Miller to Palmer to Lee Trevino to Sir Nick Faldo to the gopher from Caddyshack has been weighing in.
“He has no self-belief any more,” Faldo said.
“I just wish he’d just play golf,” old buddy Mark O’Meara said.
“He needs to get back to feel,” Trevino said.
During his Hall of Fame induction speech Monday, Peter Alliss said Tiger’s “golfing brain (is) completely addled.”
So much for those guys being asked to participate in Woods’ next Facebook interview session. When asked about all the analysis, Tiger somehow managed not to use profanity.
“I always find it interesting, since they’re not in my head,” he said. “They must have some kind of superpower I don’t know about.”
No, they’re just wondering why your superpowers have vanished. Tiger offered the usual rote responses after his latest 74.
“My good shots end up in bad spots, and my bad shots end up in worse spots.”
“It’s golf.”
“Just be patient with it. Just keep plugging along.”
“I’m going to go eat ... Then I’m going to go practice a little bit and work on it a little bit and be ready for tomorrow.”
And what will tomorrow bring?
Woods doesn’t know, just like every other guy.
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Tiger Woods is falling apart......
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