Major jitters: Tiger won't contend until he relearns how to handle pressure
Things are looking good for Tiger Woods and his legion of fans. He is coming off possibly his best tournament of the season at the Quicken Loans National in Virginia, and it’s right before a major championship! He is really showing signs of returning to his dominant self just in time for us to get excited about watching him contend for his 15th major championship title and take a step closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. Winning his fifth Wanamaker Trophy is definitely in his sights.
Wait a minute . . . this story seems eerily familiar to me.
Didn’t Tiger have possibly his best weekend of the season at the Greenbrier a few weeks ago? And wasn’t that tournament his lead-up to a major championship, the British Open at St. Andrews? After Greenbrier, didn’t he say his “baseline shift” was working out well and that he felt like he could win the British Open? Yes, yes and yes. And we all know what happened at St. Andrews; he missed the cut horribly. I think I know what Yogi Berra meant when he said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”
I’m really sorry to say this, but I see no indication that Tiger is anywhere near ready to compete in this week’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Yes, he did shoot three rounds in the 60s two weeks ago, but to the trained eye his tie for 18th at the Quicken was a bad omen.
How can that be? It’s all about how Tiger handled pressure. Allow me to break it down from the standpoint of a golfer who understands what it’s like to lose all confidence in his game.
The pressure of a golf tournament starts Thursday on the first tee. Anyone who has played in any type of tournament is familiar with “the first-tee jitters.” That’s when the round is going to begin and you’re faced with the unknown. Your hopes are high, but you’re about to find out if things are going to actually go your way. If you remember, Tiger started off with bogies on three of his first four holes last Thursday.
Stringing a few bogies together is a great way to alleviate the pressure of a tournament. You can trust me on that one -- I’ve done extensive research on the matter.
After messing up early, the pressure was off and Tiger found a groove in his golf game. He was playing like he does at home, which is carefree. As a matter of fact, Tiger played so well after his horrendous start that he found himself in contention Saturday morning, and that’s when things got serious again.
Knowing a great round on Saturday (appropriately knows as “moving day”) would give him his best chance to claim his first PGA Tour win in two years, the pressure got to him. His mental game and his swing totally abandoned him. Tiger hit only one fairway on the front nine holes, and thanks to a great short game he somehow managed to shoot only one over. After a double bogey on 11 and bogey on 13 completely blew away any chance he had of winning, his swing miraculously returned. A couple birdies to finish the third round and a final-round 68 showed me he is definitely capable of competing again, but when the pressure was on his golf game packed up and left town. Not a good sign leading into a tournament as pressure filled as the PGA Championship.
I’ve said it a million times: I really hope Tiger proves us all wrong and plays great this weekend. Besides Arnold Palmer he is probably the most important golfer the PGA Tour has ever seen, and the struggling golf industry could use the boost from seeing Tiger actually make a run at Nicklaus’ record. A Tiger Woods comeback would be great for the game of golf . . . but, alas, this isn’t the week it’s going to happen.
His fragile golf game and mental attitude just won’t be ready to face the pressure he’ll see at the PGA. And remember, Whistling Straits is no St. Andrews. This course will chew you up and spit you out if your golf game isn’t up to the challenge. The bunkers are very penalizing, the rough is really deep and the wind likely will blow hard. It’s actually similar to Chambers Bay, the site of this year’s U.S. Open, where Woods shot a first-round 80 and missed the cut by a mile. Based on what I’ve seen, especially with his driver, I anticipate a rough start for Woods, then a struggle to barely make the cut. Tiger’s game just isn’t there yet.
But as long as I’m making predictions about Tiger, I do have one more: After a long offseason, I think that we will see Tiger Woods win again early next season.
There are absolutely signs of improvement in his swing, and a long rest where he can be pain-free and work on his weaknesses could be just what the doctor ordered. He used to have the strongest mind in golf, and if he can just tap into those old memories it won’t surprise me one bit if by this time next year he’s the favorite to win the PGA Championship. That really would be déjà vu all over again.
Former PGA Tour pro Robert Damron is a regular contributor to FOXSports.com's golf coverage. Follow him on Twitter @RobertDDamron.
