Golf For The Soul

What happens when the world's No. 1 player, who possesses 14 major championships and 71 PGA Tour victories, can't sink a putt or hit a fairway?

Should we consult his statistics for the motive or simply question his sanity?

There is no question that the media frenzy Tiger endured was abusive and continues to drain him personally. However, we are also far too aware of the dominant, unrivaled golf Woods played prior to the exposure of his sex scandal.

How will he get out of this rut? What is obstructing his success? Is it in his mechanics or is it all in his head?

Putting: Clearly Uncomfortable

Statistic: Putts per round-29.56 (137th on Tour)

Though every aspect of competitive golf involves trust, if you don't trust your putting stroke, then you are not going to win. Throughout the British Open, which was Woods' most recent competitive showing, Tiger's posture was stiff, he looked uncomfortable over the ball, and most of all, his putting stroke didn't look fluid.

His two fourth-place finishes, first at the Masters and then at the U.S. Open, were the confluence of a variety of struggles, but none more than his putting. From speed to break, Woods did not have the same command over the flat stick and it ultimately lost him both championships.

Sanity:

Tiger Woods is actually going through two sticky divorce settlements -- one from his wife and one from his old, reliable putter.

That kind of adjustment, changing putters, especially after using the same putter for over a decade, is a gradual process. Expectations cannot be too high to start because the comfort and trust level with that new putter takes countless rounds to establish.

Driving: Why Not Just Hit Irons?

Statistic: Driving Accuracy Percentage- 60.61 (138th on Tour) Driving Distance: 297.3 yards (14th on Tour)

Why doesn't Tiger just hit irons and his 3-wood off the tee? He's more accurate with them and longer than most of his peers.

At the 2006 Open Championship, Tiger put on one of the most brilliant displays of golf strategy ever. Woods hit almost entirely long irons off the tee (just one driver all week) and only missed four fairways. That means he hit the fairway 92 percent of the time. And guess what -- he won the championship.

I understand that in today's professional world of golf, length is a crucial factor and Tiger does have a substantial amount of it with his massive Nike driver. However, when he misses fairways, he's instantly putting himself out of contention to produce birdies.

Sanity:

When you are standing on the tee, it's all about visualizing the shot you want to hit and where you want to place it. Though Tiger has never been the most accurate off the tee, he always had a deliberately slow and steady pre-shot routine in which viewers could clearly watch as he would pin point his shot off the tee.

At the British Open, and especially at the AT&T National, it seemed like he was not only rushing his pre-shot routine, but that he was praying that the ball would somehow find the fairway. His mechanics don't seem to be the issue, so the conclusion is that he needs to make a substantial mental adjustment to hit more fairways.

Greens in Regulation: Mediocre at Best

Statistic: Greens in Regulation- 65.56 percent (96th on the Tour)

Hitting greens is hard. Players have to factor in wind, slope of both the lie they're hitting off and the green they're hitting onto, distance, club selection, and then they have to actually execute the shot. That was once Tiger's forte.

When a player doesn't hit greens, it becomes that much harder to make birdies, simple as that. Tiger's approach shots have been so erratic that he has not been putting himself in position to make birdie putts.

For example, at the British Open it seemed like Tiger was either putting for birdie from 40-60 feet away or putting for par from 4-6 feet away. That is not how you win championships, and he knows that better than anyone.

Sanity:

Before the British Open, I wrote about how I firmly believed Tiger had the upper hand in the event. This was because he discussed in an interview how he had regained his comfort executing an array of golf shots. Well, we know how that worked out: Tie for 23rd.

Hitting golf shots close to the pin isn't just about perfect mechanics, just like throwing a strike or shooting a free throw isn't just about mechanics. Instead, it requires confidence in both one's technique and in one's ability to hit the shot.

Prior to hitting his approach shot, Tiger might be able to visualize the shot he needs to hit because he's done it before, but he doesn't actually seem confident that he's going to pull it off.

It's most noticeable in his held off finishes and shorter and faster back-swings. But most of all, because he knows just milliseconds after striking the ball that it's not what he wanted to do, it results in his notorious profanity and visible anger.

Why He Is Still Among The Best

Statistic: Scoring Average- 70.14 (10th on Tour)

For the plethora of mistakes that Tiger Woods makes, he remains one of the greatest, if not the greatest, recovery players ever.

It's clear that his game is not where he wants it to be, but somehow he is still among the top-10 in Scoring Average, which is a true testament to his competitive relentlessness.

Woods has a multitude of shots in his repertoire that allow him to play from any and every spot on the golf course. We've seen him hit low, running shots under trees just as many times as we've seen him hit high, bending shots around trees. He's incredibly crafty, ultimately allowing him to remedy his mistakes off the tee, from the fairway, or on and around greens.

Sanity:

It just seems like he wants to win more than anybody else.

Though his mental game is clearly not in the state it once was, he is still able to rally and respond to the adversity he faces.

Golfers have never been the most animated competitors; they don't dance after making a birdie or eagle like a football player would after making a touchdown. But Tiger lets his emotions roar.