Tiger Woods struggles again to 73

Before this week, all Tiger Woods and the club pros in the PGA Championship had in common was that they all play golf. Now they've got something else to share - a struggle to make the cut in the season's final major.

The game's dominant player wasn't even competitive in his own group Thursday, shocking the crowds that lined the fairways and greens of the Atlanta Athletic Club with two double-bogeys and a 3-over-par 73 in the opening round of the PGA.

It left him nine shots off the lead, and behind some guys who spend most of their year selling merchandise in the pro shop. Almost unthinkably, he needs a decent second round just to make the cut.

"He don't look happy," a gallery marshal said as a grim-faced Woods walked by.

There wasn't much for Woods to be happy about as the erratic play that has plagued his summer had him cursing at his ball and bowing his head in disgust as his score mounted.

He couldn't hit a green with a 9-iron and he chunked a chip. Even a late rally fizzled when Woods three-putted the final green from 25 feet.

On another day, it might have been enough for Woods to storm off the course in disgust. Instead, he patiently fielded a few questions before heading off to the practice range to try to find the swing that has been strangely quirky all summer.

One question remained unanswered, though, both on and off the course - What's wrong with Tiger's game?

"I'm not that far off," Woods said. "If I just eliminate my mistakes, I'm under par. If I can go ahead and do that tomorrow, I should be able to move myself up that board a little bit."

Woods has a long way to move after failing to take advantage of a day in which even club pros like Rick Schuller and Bruce Zabriski managed to shoot in the 60s.

Zabriski's son is a first-grader in Jupiter, Fla., and has been asking his father all week if he beat Woods.

"Now I get to tell him I beat Tiger Woods one day," said Zabriski, who shot a 69.

A lot of others can say that too, most with better credentials than Zabriski and the other 24 club pros in the field. David Duval was among them, shooting a 66 while playing in the same group with his friend and rival.

"The guy is in a tough spot because he's not winning ever week and he's getting crucified," Duval said. "It's a very tough game to stay on top of for years and years at a time. We expect his spurts of greatness to last longer than maybe other people's. But he's going to have down times too."

Those times would have been hard to imagine at this same tournament a year ago when Woods beat Bob May in a playoff to win what was his third of four straight major titles.

At one point during that streak, Woods went 63 holes without even making a bogey. For the last three major championships he has now made at least one double-bogey.

Woods made two Thursday, illustrating somewhat the things that are wrong with his game. Both came on botched chips after irons had gotten Woods into trouble.

The first came on the par-3 15th, Woods' sixth hole of the day, when he chipped from a bad lie into the water. Six holes later, he made another when he pulled a 9-iron into a greenside depression, couldn't get a flop chip on the green and ended up missing a 4-footer for bogey.

Woods walked head down to the next tee, ignoring a fan who called out the question:

"Tiger, if you don't make the cut will you watch on TV?"

Not likely. Woods hasn't missed a cut in his last 73 PGA Tour events, and he's not entertaining the possibility here.

"I made some bad mistakes with my swing and also a few mistakes on the green that cost me," Woods said. "I had three three-putts and if I eliminate those I'm right there."

Woods' math was just as off as his game. He had two three-putts and actually putted well on his back nine until the final hole. But he had trouble getting short shots close, including a chip on his 17th hole and a wedge from the middle of the fairway on the final hole that was 25 feet short.

As much as Woods claims there's nothing wrong with his game, the stats are beginning to say otherwise.

After winning the Masters with his 13th consecutive round under par in major championships, Woods has now failed to break par in six of his last nine rounds. He hasn't finished better than 12th in four tournaments since winning the Memorial in early June and his 25th place showing at the British Open was his worst in a major since 1997.

"I'm not that far off," he said. "The difference is before (at the U.S. and British Opens) I didn't feel that comfortable over shots. Today I felt comfortable over shots."

Email this page to a friend