Were it not for Phil Mickelson’s spectacular stumble over the weekend at the WGC-Bridgestone in Ohio, Tiger Woods would no longer be the number one golfer in the world, a distinction he has held since 2005. Woods handed in his worst card as a professional golfer, tallying 18 over par, a full 30 shots and 77 places behind winner Hunter Mahan. Yet he still has a tenuous grip on the title; a distinction that seems less comfortable every time it’s mentioned.
About the time Woods was recovering from his 72 on Friday, I made a questionable bet with a friend for NZ$1000 that Tiger, 34, will not break Jack’s record of 18 majors. To be fair it was late at night and I was in the midst of being slightly over-served at the time. On the face of it, it’s a ballsy move to bet against him. Majors record or not, he’s widely renowned as the best golfer ever and statistics will back it up. He’s also not yet halfway through his 30’s and while major winners over 34 are slim pickings, this shouldn’t be an obstacle for the greatest there is. Just like it wasn’t for Nicklaus. If he returns to half the player he was from last decade, he could easily do it by the time he’s 40.
But is this such a bad bet? He’s obviously no spring chicken, but likewise, his body is not what it once was. Injuries to his back and knees have hampered him over time and there’s no guarantee they won’t bite again, especially as he ages. More importantly, his mental edge over his rivals has faded and will continue to do so with each tournament he doesn’t pick up the winner’s cheque. Even when he finishes in the top ten at a major – like he’s done this year – the guys ahead of him can bank those ‘holding off Tiger on Sunday’ reps. So the more fragile he becomes, the stronger the field gets. Indeed these are residual differences, but golf more than most is a game in which the slightest of margins can translate to the most significant of advantages.
Can he recover? It’s a fair question. Especially now that his journey is twice as hard since he has decided his house needs to be in order as well as his game. One wonders if he’ll get to the point where he will give up on his road to salvation and embrace the dark side. He could follow the Kobe Bryant road to redemption by using the bunker mentality, becoming a badass and saying to hell with the world. But you don’t get the feeling he will, lest he lose all of his sponsors and perhaps his kids.
There’s still the USPGA in Wisconsin to attend this week – the last major of 2010. And also Ryder Cup selection to address. At this point Tiger would need a coach’s pick to make the cut, since he’s 10th in the FedEx points race and only the top 8 get automatic entry. Tiger has intimated that he doesn’t want to be there if he’s playing like this; nobody playing like this should make the team. Yet he added the caveat that there’s still time to right his game. So a major tournament victory and the prospect of making the Ryder Cup team hang in the balance; more than enough incentive to break a two year major drought.
There’s an expectation with Tiger Woods, amongst most golf followers, that he’ll get back to his best; it’s just a matter of time. But this is a different Tiger Woods; no longer the front runner with the bullet proof resume, he’s gun shy. If he somehow opens his account for the year and wins the USPGA, he’ll be on 15 majors and in a much better position to get his life and game back on track – and things will surely come a bit easier again. However comparisons with Lazarus won’t happen this weekend. Even though the bookies have him installed as second favourite behind Mickelson, he’s as likely to MC as he is to be top 10.
This is the sad reality of the life and times of Tiger in 2010 – the worst year of his career. It’s possible he needs a break, because going through the motions and expecting the touch to return doesn’t remove the inner torment that’s betraying his confidence. Or maybe he should have a look at how Andre Agassi reinvented his career after a colossal tumble down the world rankings. Or perhaps he should just embrace the dark side. If he hit 19 still living large and not giving a crap about how he’s perceived, then the grand would almost be worth it.
