IT’S TOUGH IN TULSA FOR TIGER
A PAINED Tiger Woods suffered a traumatic third round at the USPGA Championship, as his satisfaction at making the cut turned to misery with a nine-over-par 79.
Woods’ game fell apart in the cold conditions at Southern Hills with the grim run of five successive bogeys from the ninth his worst at a Major in his professional career.
“I couldn’t get off the bogey train there or on any other train too,” said Woods. “I didn’t do anything right. I didn’t hit many good shots.
“Consequently I ended up with a pretty high score.
“I’m sore but we’ll do some work and see how it goes tomorrow.”
As a stuttering Saturday, it was reminiscent of the Masters six weeks ago where Woods (right) went on to suffer the worst weekend of his career.
Only somehow it was more harrowing. There was a sadness to seeing one of sport’s great champions so diminished.
His legacy as one of the two greatest players of all time is secure. So why bother?
It has taken three hours of treatment before each round for Woods just to tee his ball up in Tulsa.
The Masters and the USPGA have been the most testing environments he could have returned to given the extent of the injuries he sustained in his car smash 15 months ago.
If Augusta was Woods’ Everest, as he described it before this championship, Southern Hills was his K2.
Others, less stubborn, would have hobbled away. Rory McIlroy amongst them.
“He’s feeling it on every swing but he is just incredibly resilient and mentally tough,” said McIlroy.
“He’s the ultimate pro.” The Oklahomans set their alarms and turned up in their droves to see Woods yesterday, layering up against the cold.
The plunging temperature did nothing for his creaking body though. Wearing a black sleeveless pullover, he set out 12 strokes behind leader Will Zalatoris and was soon 13 back after driving into the creek at the second. There was more watery woe at the sixth as he triple-bogeyed.
When he missed a six-footer for par at the seventh the writing was on the wall.
His only birdie of the day from 25 feet at the 15th drew a weak smile. It only served to mask the hurt .