Tiger may never turn the tide

It would be germane to examine the highlights and lowlights of the phenomenon that is Tiger Woods under the microscope of the latest round of Tigermania. It’s been fuelled by the astonishing finish Woods produced in the final round of the PGA championship at Bellerive as he strove to hunt down eventual winner Brooks Koepke.

He eventually finished second, just two shots adrift.

The immediate kneejerk reaction was to rush the 14-time Major winner into the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin as one of Jim Furyk’s picks as US captain.

His earlier serial dalliances culminated in his enraged wife Elin Nordegren, who he married in 2004, ending matters on Thanksgiving night in 2009 and reportedly walking away from the marriage with half of Tiger’s billion dollars in earnings.

Woods was shown to have feet of clay. He is humanly fallible and never really recovered his aloof air of invincibility on the golf courses of the globe.

But even with four back surgeries, the finishing 64 which echoed like a thunderclap through the world of golf at Bellerive, the baying of the galleries in St Louis emanating largely from the vocal inanities off the “get in the hole” ilk of the ill-informed idiots out there – some realities have to be faced.

Woods will be crowding 43 by the time the next US Masters – a tournament he has won four times – rolls around at Augusta National.

He will be nearly a year older than that for the next Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

And it must be borne in mind that despite his serial victories in strokeplay, his record in the seething crucible of matchplay in the biennial contests between the US and Europe do not stand up nearly as well.

In 33 career matches, he has won 13, lost 17 and halved three during his seven outings for the Americans, though he has won four of his singles matches, lost one and halved two.

But under the shared responsibility of foursomes and fourball play, his record is less exemplary.

He has won four foursomes, lost eight and halved one, won five fourball contests, lost eight and halved none.

It is a portent, and it should be remembered that the time and tide wait for no one.