The end? Tiger Woods, ‘confused as he has ever been’ hitting rock-bottom

After watching Woods record the worst round of his professional career last week at the Phoenix Open, never before have the game’s analysts been so brutally brusque, writes Steve Elling.

Tiger Woods reacts during the second round of the Phoenix Open last Friday. Rick Stueri / AP / January 30, 2015

Given the state of disposable journalism in the digital age, wherein stories disappear with the push of a computer button, the obituaries relating to Tiger Woods’ career have been written early and often over the years. Mostly, they disappeared and were quickly forgotten.

He endured multiple surgeries, the worst scandal in the history of the sport, a bank-emptying divorce, myriad coaching changes, slumps and swing issues. As Woods faced his hurdles, educated sceptics have never been in short supply, often with ample reason.

But after watching Woods record the worst round of his professional career last week at the Phoenix Open, never before have the game’s analysts been so brutally brusque, much less in unanimous voice. Many of the sport’s top experts not only have written him off, they pre-ordered the granite headstone for his final resting place and chipped in to purchase a new chisel.

By universal opinion, Woods’s performance during his 11-over 82 last Friday in Phoenix was abysmal, embarrassing and, as ESPN’s Dottie Pepper called it, downright “amateurish”. It marked the second time in his career that he failed to break 80 – the other instance came in a driving rainstorm – and the second start in succession in which he finished dead last.

Observers have not so much reacted as recoiled. Woods, ranked world No 1 as recently as May, took six weeks off since finishing last at his own event in Orlando, and actually got worse. In his past five full-field starts, he has three missed cuts, a withdrawal and a 69th-place finish.

“When Tiger says rust, to me it’s a signal that he doesn’t know what the problem is,” said ESPN analyst Paul Azinger, a major champion and former Ryder Cup captain. “I feel he is as confused as he has ever been.”

That is surely the case with Woods’ once-unassailable short game. His former coach, Hank Haney, watched Woods struggle in Phoenix and counted seven instances in which Woods missed greens with a pitch, sand or chip shot. The most-dreaded psychological term in the sport, “yips”, has been applied, and it is difficult to argue the notion his nerves are shot.

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee characterised Woods’ twitchy short-game play as, “the worst I’ve ever seen from a tour pro. Around the greens, this is an issue that I’ve really never seen anybody fully recover from.”

The rest of his game was nearly as ugly.

“There’s so many holes to patch up right now that you don’t have enough fingers for the dike,” Haney said during his US radio show.

After parting ways with Sean Foley, Woods hired a new swing coach, the relatively unknown Chris Como, last fall.

Said Haney: “When you start playing musical teachers, you know the end is pretty darn close.”

Are we truly approaching the Tiger terminus? As a cautionary note, after each swing change or personal setback, it has taken Woods a few months to find his new groove, though he has always persevered and was the US tour’s top player in 2013.

But rock bottom can be defined in many ways, and Woods’ long odds this week at Torrey Pines are the lowest of any tournament in his career.

To what degree does Woods even care? With his game in disarray, there were reports Tuesday that he was in Colorado, watching girlfriend Lindsey Vonn at a ski event. She might be the lone global sports figure who is going downhill faster than Woods, albeit with much more control.

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