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Tiger Woods’ British Open began with an ideal swing: A low punch shot down the Old Course’s forgiving first fairway, leaving just 108 yards to the hole. It should have been a routine par, maybe even a birdie if he pulled off an aggressive shot.
But when he arrived at the ball, Woods discovered that he caught a terrible break. His drive landed right in the middle of a dirt-filled divot, meaning he couldn’t predict how the ball would react off his club face. It turned out to be the worst-case scenario: Woods chunked the shot, which ended up in the Swilcan Burn guarding the front of the green. After a one-stroke penalty, a chip and then a missed 7-foot putt, Woods walked off the first hole with a double bogey.
Unlucky? Sure. A bad omen? No doubt. But this is Tiger Woods we’re talking about, a three-time British Open winner including two of them at St. Andrews. Even well past his prime, without many tournament reps as he recovers from a car accident 16 months ago that nearly damaged his right leg to the point of amputation, this is supposed to be one of the few major championship courses where he can at least hang around on the leaderboard for a little while.
That’s what Woods did at Augusta National, stealing the spotlight on Day 1 with a 71 that had him in the top-10 overnight.
But that was then, and this is now. And the more Woods plays, the more we have to ask: Is this really worth it?
For all the excitement around Woods when he returned to the Masters this year, his round of 78 Thursday was a harsh reminder of what his golf career really is at this point. On a course that was by no means easy, but certainly not hellacious, Woods beat just seven players in the field. Two of them were 50-year-old David Duval and 62-year-old Mark Calcavecchia, who only got into the field as past champions.
Even after all he has been through,…
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Source : yahoo
