Tiger Took His Eye Off the Ball
- Monday, August 17, 2009 12:09 AM
- Written By: Joel Huerto
Nobody's perfect. Not even the great Tiger Woods.
That proved to be true during the final round of the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., when little known Y.E. Yang did the unthinkable and tamed Tiger, handing the world's greatest golfer the most heartbreaking loss of his professional career.
Woods showed a side of him that we've never seen since becoming the No. 1 player on the PGA Tour. Call it a choke or a hiccup, however you want to describe it, he simply lost his focus.
It happens to the best. It's the same way Michael Jordan lost his focus when he returned to the NBA after his two-year retirement (or paid vacation) and the same way Mike Tyson lost his focus in 1990 in Tokyo.
Jordan, wearing that unfamiliar No. 45, looked like an old Air Jordan instead of the old Air Jordan. He was a step slow and his once great athletic prowess was somewhat diminished. He got the message loud and clear during the 1995 Eastern Conference playoffs when he got schooled by Orlando's Nick Anderson. Nick Anderson!
Tyson had never lost a fight until he lost his razor-sharp edge and ran into a journeyman fighter named James "Buster" Douglas, whose left jab and right cross stopped the undisputed heavyweight champion in what many boxing experts call the greatest upset in the sport's history.
The only thing more embarrassing than getting stripped by Nick The Brick or knocked out by Buster Douglas is losing in a major championship to a 37-year-old golfer two years removed from Q-School, ranked 110th and had just one win on the PGA Tour.
When it was winning time, Woods - golf's best closer - couldn't deliver in the clutch. He missed numerous birdie opportunities and the frustrations mounted as the day progressed. He talked to himself more than usual and never got in control of his emotions, which could very well be the reason for all those crucial putts he missed.
In the past, Tiger was able to rebound from bogeys and three-putts and regain his composure on the next hole. He did it better than anyone in the world. But that supreme confidence and nerves of steel were clearly missing on Sunday.
Based on his track record, Woods seemed to be a lock to win his 15th major title. We've all read about his magical record when he leads after three rounds: 14-0 in major championships and 37-1 in PGA Tour events. And all those mortals who played with him in the final round usually fell by the wayside and became notches on his ever-growing championship belt.
But someone must not have told Yang about Tiger's epic tale, a story that is usually punctuated with a fist pump on the 18th green, both arms raised in victory and a hug for caddie Stevie Williams for a job well done.
Instead, it was Yang who nailed his approach shots and sank all the critical putts en route to becoming the first Korean player and the second Asian male to win a major golf championship (Tiger was the first Asian to win a major).
Woods said he played well enough to win, but he just didn't make enough putts. He also admitted he misread a few putts and was thrown off by the blustery conditions. The bottom line was, Tiger didn't play like Tiger. He shot 3-over par (75) in his forgettable fourth round while Yang shot 2-under (70) and played the round of his life to overcome Tiger's two-shot lead.
Though he would never use his injury as the reason for his major-less season, it is hard to ignore the fact that Woods, who missed eight months because of knee surgery, is still not 100 percent. Despite winning five times on the Tour this season, Woods went 0-for-4 in the majors and never found the comfort zone. Tiger may be fully healed from his knee injury, but his game is still in rehab mode.
For Tiger to regain his championship form, he just needs to go back to the lab and work on a few things; similar to what Jordan did when he was forced to alter his game prior to the 1996 season. He needs to play in more tournaments and get his confidence back. He can't afford to play in just 16 or 17 tournaments and expect to dominate in the majors.
Because of his loss to Yang at Hazeltine, many pundits will probably jump off the Tiger bandwagon. But don't count on Tiger being down too long. Next year, the British Open will be held at the Old Course in St. Andrews and the U.S. Open will be at Pebble Beach - two of Tiger's favorite courses. He could go from not winning a major in 2009 to winning all four in 2010.
