Tiger finally admits all is not well
By DAVE HACKENBERG / Toledo Blade
SAN FRANCISCO -- Of late, after good rounds and bad, Tiger
Woods has been known to walk off the 18th green and talk about
how well he was playing, how close he was to the 'A' game, how
glorious tomorrow could be.
Yesterday, after the third round of the U.S. Open, Woods finally
admitted all is not well with a game that, once again, is coming
up short in a major championship.
Once again, a tomorrow doesn't carry much promise.
"I'm still learning where to put the ball to give myself
a chance," he said.
That inability, and a short fuse that seems not to allow him
to accept bogeys and move on, which is the rule of thumb at a
tournament like the U.S. Open, has sabotaged another major title
effort by the game's most promising talent.
Since winning the '97 Masters in record fashion -- 18-under
par and by a 12-stroke margin -- and heightening expectations
that he might be about to dominate the game, Woods finished 19th
in last year's U.S. Open, 24th at the British Open and 29th at
the PGA Championship. He was eighth at this year's Masters and
currently rests in a tie for 18th with one round to go here at
Olympic Club.
"It was a struggle out there," Woods said. "I
hit a lot of loose shots. I haven't made many putts. I haven't
hit the ball solidly. I haven't hit the ball below the hole.
"I need to hit more greens and more fairways. I've hit
a lot of balls in the rough. But I salvaged the round today. It
could have been in the high 70s."
Instead it was a 1-over 71, leaving him at 7-over 217 for the
championship.
Woods birdied the first hole, a 533-yard par 5 that he reached
with a driver-wedge combination, the wedge from 148 yards out.
"I hit a really good putt that hung on the lip and tapped
it in for birdie," Tiger said. "I thought I played the
hole perfectly and said, 'let's continue the streak.' "
However, after getting up and down for par at No. 2, he suffered
back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4, then plodded home with 14
consecutive pars.
The greatest indication that Woods is not playing with great
confidence came when he was asked whether he'd be more aggressive
in today's final round.
"It all depends how I feel," he said. "If I'm
not hitting it real well, I'll go more for the center of the greens.
I'm leaning towards the safety factor."
Playing safe? With a 10-shot deficit in the final round of
the U.S. Open? Tiger Woods?
"It all depends on if I can put it all together and get
a few breaks," he said. "Hopefully, I can get some lies
on the greens that will let me make some birdies. You know, some
guys get a good lie out of the rough, put it on the green, make
the putt and say they stole two shots. Those are the kind of breaks
I need.
"I really am playing better mentally than in any of the
majors since Augusta last year. I'm playing with so much more
intelligence. I'm learning my lessons.
"But, so far, it has been one of those weeks where I haven't
been able to put the pieces together. I'm just not hitting it
as sharp as I'd like."
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