Daily Buzz: Tiger's major problems

Published Aug. 5, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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Sam Gardner

Tiger Woods won his fifth tournament of the year over the weekend, a seven-shot victory over second-place finishers Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson at the Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio.

Naturally, Woods’ 15-under performance, the highlight of which came in a second-round 61, has some proclaiming that Tiger has returned to playing like his old self.

But all of the Secretariat-margin wins in the world won’t mean anything until Tiger wins another major, and this weekend's PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., will be Woods' last chance of the season to get that first post-meltdown major he so badly needs to officially be “back.”

Woods shot even par in the final round of the season-opening Farmers Insurance Open to coast to a four-stroke victory. He then had another stress-free Sunday at the Cadillac Championship in March, posting a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish at 19-under for the tournament — which, by the way, earned him $1.5 million.

His Monday finish at Bay Hill came with little fanfare, as did his win at the Players' Championship, with most of the heavy lifting coming on the tournament's first two days — a double-bogey on 14 being the only thing keeping the back nine of the final round interesting.

And now there’s this: a throwback win at Bridgestone for Woods, who has finished in the top 10 in seven of the 11 tournaments he entered this season.

But, that’s also kind of the problem. Of those seven top-10s, five were his wins, but the two non-wins came at the most inopportune times — a tie for fourth at the Masters and a tie for sixth at the Open Championship last month. “Dropgate” was Woods’ downfall at Augusta, but there was no excuse for fizzling at the Open, and there was even less of an excuse for that tie for 32nd following a miserable weekend at the U.S. Open.

If Tiger can win the PGA Championship, his collapses at the previous three majors will be forgiven. But if he can’t get the job done, his five wins this year, and three last year, will soon be forgotten, and he’ll continue to just be another good pro who can’t win the big one — a strange description, to be sure, for a guy with 14 major championships to his name.

Now, for some links:

• A high school football coach was suspended for slapping a mildly offensive mantra on the locker room wall.

• Antonio Cromartie ripped Jets fans for booing Mark Sanchez at training camp.

• Here’s a minor league baseball player striking out on one pitch, and then getting ejected:

• John Axford offered tickets for donut burgers:

• Tim Tebow pretended to have no idea what was going on with his old roomie Riley Cooper.

• And Cooper was made aware of the offensive video before it was published online.

• A 5-year-old cancer survivor scores a touchdown at Browns practice:

• Notre Dame expects to be back in this year’s BCS Championship Game:

• Dallas Stars players change numbers, offer to buy replacement jerseys for fans.

• Major League Baseball is teaming up with the U.S. Forest Service to try to make maple bats safer.

• In case you missed it, here’s J.B. Shuck making an incredible catch to rob Jose Bautista of a home run:

• Kyle Seager got an adorable letter from a boy who got hit with his bat in Houston:

• TMZ bought Aaron Hernandez's leaked pen pal letter for $18,000.

• And Hernandez's uncle was killed in a moped crash.

• Kid is not impressed with the foul ball that landed in his lap at a Marlins game:

• The San Diego Padres gave Mariano Rivera a bike:

• Read about the time a chili dog almost derailed Terrell Davis' NFL career.

• The Hawaii football team dismissed its offensive coordinator after five months and zero games.

• Travis Kvapil isn’t happy with Danica Patrick:

• Brad Penny married an Oklahoma City Thunder dancer in Hawaii.

• New coach Jeff Hornacek expects the Phoenix Suns to score 103 points per game this year.

• Nice guy Bubba Watson bought a bunch of strangers dinner at Chipotle:

• One Badwater runner doesn't even remember the race.

• Rutgers named twin brothers Jamal and Jamil Merrell as its football captains.

• Here is Jadeveon Clowney helping flip a blocking sled:

• That's one helluva halibut.

• The Indianapolis Colts invited a 93-year-old assault victim to training camp.

• This buff Mets fan can’t open a water bottle:

• Eric Wedge's health situation in Seattle is somewhat concerning.

• Could CC Sabathia's weight loss be the reason for his on-field struggles this season?

• The Mavericks made a superhero-themed video pitch for Dwight Howard:

• Charlie Kimball overcame a lot to get his first career victory.

• The Miami Heat wooed Greg Oden with a meal at Chili's.

• Here’s a guy doing a front flip on a scooter and not breaking his neck:

• New Jaguars merchandise is selling well in Jacksonville.

• Meanwhile, in the NBA, Charlotte's name change back to the Hornets is already paying off.

• Some guy almost lost his head at a Tough Mudder competition in Buffalo:

• Dez Bryant says LeBron James would excel in the NFL.

• The legendary Art Donovan is dead at 89.

• Thirteen bros play a pretty epic game of hot-potato:

• Sounds like former Carolina Hurricanes forward Chad LaRose kind of just disappeared after his contract expired.

• A baseball legend lives 65 years after his death.

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