Still short of winning
Tiger Woods waxed optimistic heading into his Saturday start at the Bridgestone Invitational, and with reason. For one thing, he figured he could again lean on familiarity to go low; Firestone fits his eye, translating to a record eight victories that includes blowouts over strong fields. For another, he understood the value of closing in via an outstanding penultimate 18; not for nothing has he paced the PGA Tour in thirdround scoring since he began his comeback in earnest this year.
As things turned out, Woods did make a big move yesterday. Unfortunately, it was in the wrong direction; following an up-and-down — but mostly down — stint that had him post a single birdie despite inviting conditions, he tumbled 18 spots to 28th. His 73 was the ninthworst of the 71 scores turned in, prompting pundits to speculate if he wasn’t physically up to par, so to speak. Not so, he disclosed; he was just plain bad, having had to fight, in his words, “everything. I didn’t warm up very well. I didn’t hit the ball crisp or clean.”
Given the wasted opportunity, Woods couldn’t help but be disappointed. History beckoned, with a projected ninth triumph fittingly marking the end of the World Golf Championships event in Akron, Ohio; next year, it will be moving to Memphis, Tennessee as part of a deal with city-based FedEx. Instead of stepping up, though, he found himself battling his swing. And it certainly doesn’t help that, at 42, he faces a tougher bounce-back than he has been used to. “That’s one of the challenges as we age — trying to recover for the next day. It’s got[ten] a lot harder.”
Still, if there’s anything Woods understands, it’s that the product of hard work doesn’t always manifest itself immediately. Which is why he’ll keep plodding on; he’ll still be out to do as best he can even if he’s no longer in contention because, well, there’s the PGA Championship next week to consider — and, after that, three more tournaments in four weeks. And, after those, there’s a probable stint in the Ryder Cup as playing assistant captain.
All told, Woods has plenty to get up for, and the numbers don’t lie. He’s making strides, just not as fast as he’d like; among other stats, he’s third and fourth in strokes gained on approach and around the green, respectively. Where he needs improvement — make that a lot of improvement — is off the tee; unless and until he cleans up his effort with a driver in hand, he’ll be coming close, but still short of winning.