After shooting 68 – 66 and a tie for fifth place, everybody was excited. Is Tiger finally back into form? He was back in the hunt, prowling like the old Tiger Woods. Or was he?
It appears he has Sergio Garcia disease. That affliction, when you can play beautiful golf at times, but you work your way into contention in a big tournament; it’s el foldo. There appears to be nothing wrong with Tiger’s swing, it’s all in his head. He hits it beautifully on the range and it’s anybody’s guess where the ball will go when he gets out on the course in competition.
He made a spectacular Tiger-esque save on the 18th, but it was for bogey. Today he hit some incredibly wayward drives and through some miraculous scrambling, was only three over par. After starting the day tied for fifth, he is now tied for 42nd place. For those thinking that Tiger is back, think again.
Now that he’s out of contention, as usual these days, let’s see if he puts together a decent final-round or just mails it in. With his world ranking, he will not be eligible to play in the Bridgestone next week. Next up for him is the PGA Championship. Does anyone really think that he can contend there? I’m sure there are, but I think he has a better chance of missing the cut as opposed to finishing in the top 10, let alone winning. Tiger’s roller coaster continues, although it’s going mostly downhill.
Leonard Finkel is the author of The Secrets to the Game of Golf & Life and former editor in chief of Golf Journeys Magazine. His work has been featured in almost 200 publications including Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips and Player Magazine. He has written more than a dozen cover stories for Golf Today Magazine. He has written extensively about golf and travel and has added poker to his writing repertoire. Finkel also works as a marketing and public relations consultant. His specialty niche is writing advertorial copy. Prior to his career in golf, Finkel owned a chain of retail stores and a consulting and import company based in Asia. He attended the University of Utah.