Capelle On Golf

I had the obvious headline written for this piece on Saturday night – “Tiger is Back.”

And he would have been if not for a final round of 72 at the Abu Dhabi, which dropped him into a 3t. After all, Woods was slamming his clubs again, he was hitting greens like a machine (85% through round 3), his putting was coming back, and he was his obnoxious self in interviews. Oh, and the Buddhist bracelet was long gone.

Yes, the stage was set for Mr. Hold-54-Hole-Leads to do it again. After all, his playing partner and co-leader going into round four was Robert Rock, the 117th ranked player in the world and a fellow who was more famous for his locks than his game. And, their closest competitors were two shot back.

In short, the stars were aligned for a confidence building W, which would have been his first against a full field in the last 26 months. A win based on solid  ball striking in the clutch would have increased his momentum as he readies himself for the Masters, which is now a scant 10 weeks away.

With all of these positives (not to mention a possible return to the Top 10 in the WGR) on the line, Woods’ response was to play his worst round of the week, by far. He hit only 6 greens (33%), and only 2 of 14 fairways (14%) after hitting the short grass with 62% of his drives in the first three rounds.

In the post round interview Steve Sands queried Woods about his game. “I didn’t hit the ball as well as I’d like to,” said Woods, then delivered a sarcastic “thanks dude” to his interrogator before scurrying off.

So, Woods evidently is still in the midst of an 18 month long process of rebuilding his game with Sean Foley. As Woods has acknowledged, there are certain benchmarks and goals that must be met before being ready to win a major. Hit good shots at home. Bring Ranger Rick to the course. Contend. Win a lower lever tournament. Contend in a major. Win a big one.

Based on his Sunday performance, Woods still lacks complete confidence in Swing #4. So, after this choke, he needs a W in a real event prior to the Masters even more than we might have imagined.