These past few days, the Barclays Golf Tournament came and went. Matt Kuchar’s 12 under won him the tournament and we cheered and praised him.
In the first round, however, we were treated to a rerun of a familiar show – a show that could possibly be making a come back. That’s right: the Tiger Woods show.
Woods shot a 65 in the first round, reminding everyone that, as of now, he is still the No. 1 golfer in the world.
But Woods could not maintain his strong play and fell off, finishing tied for 12th.
Whether that first round was a fluke or not remains to be seen. All we can do now is sit back and speculate and examine his situation.
All sports obviously present their own challenges. Baseball has pitchers vs. batters, football has receivers vs. defensive backs and hockey has goalies vs. forwards.
However, with golf it’s the golfer vs. himself. One bad shot can throw-off an entire golfer’s mindset. They begin to over think. Every shot becomes a mountain to climb or a demon to conquer.
One great example is Phil Mickelson’s play at the 2006 U.S. Open. With one hole to go, Mickelson held a one stroke lead. His drive on 18 soared out of bounds into the gallery. With the poor shot on his mind, he figured he could make up for it by hitting through the trees. His ball stuck a tree and barely left the woods. After that, he tried again and ended up in the sand, one shot shy of the golfer behind him who, due to Mickelson’s blunder, won the Open.
One shot changes everything.
For Tiger, it’s not just one shot he’s trying to overcome. It is an entire year of personal trauma, skeletons coming out of the closet, staged apologies, treatment at a rehab center and a divorce. Then add months of playing golf like an average Joe on top of that.
If Tiger needs inspiration to help him lose the personal issues that plague him on the course, he should turn his attention to Vikings quarterback (and national annoyance) Brett Favre.
On Dec. 22, 2003, Brett Favre played the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football. This was no ordinary game for Favre, though. The previous night, Favre’s father passed away and Brett played. He passed for 399 yards and threw four touchdowns despite having so much on his mind.
In a time where men are reduced to children out of grief, Favre displayed poise, professionalism and passion. He left his off the field problems where they belonged – off the field – and turned in one of the most memorable performances in NFL history.
So it is not insurmountable for Tiger.
The big question: will Tiger be back? I believe he will. We all know his determination and his desire. He is too much of a competitor to let anything defeat him.
It will take some time, but believe me; soon enough Tiger will again be the king of golf.