Muddled mind deals new low for Tiger Woods

Column by Anand Datla

June 07, 2015: Tiger Woods is beginning to resemble a mighty edifice under attack from unseen enemies. When he suffered an 82 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, it could have been put down to a lack of preparation. But just a few months down the line, Tiger has eclipsed the worst performance of his career with a new low that raises several questions. With yesterday’s 85 at Muirfield Village as another piece of evidence, it is clear that Woods is dealing with a maze like muddle that is numbing his mind and confounding experts.

Adding to the pain is a gradual descent by this modern giant of golf, who has been stepping into a new nadir with each passing year. Tiger’s ugly descent since his scandalous escapades became public in 2009 has been especially gory to watch and follow, considering how he captivated us by sweeping the game of golf off its feet with his spectacular feats of brilliance.

After a lengthy run at the top, Tiger’s edifice has been crumbling one chip at a time. The constant battles that have consumed Tiger’s career since that fire hydrant broke in Miami are a study that could explain why sport isn’t only about skill.

Tiger obviously has been blessed with plenty of it all through his illustrious career. And so are several other golfers. But Tiger separated himself from the rest through attributes such as a steely will and determination, physical discipline and an air of confidence that was unmatched on the tour.

Soon as his personal unravelled, it appeared that Tiger was stripped of those attributes, confounded as he was by a sudden fallibility that enveloped his existence.

Driving back to the present, the bogeys at 4 & 5 in Muirfield set the tone for a miserable day in the field for Woods. As an enthusaistic sea of fans watched in dismay – Tiger floundered from one bunker to the next on the par-3 8th hole, surrendered an uncharacteristic double bogey.

After a decent tee shot on the 9th, even Tiger’s jaw dropped as he saw his ball take a swim in the water off a terrible approach shot. Another double bogey stained his card, as he turned around with his card reading a near amateurish 42.

On a day such as this, the bogeys at 11, 12, 14 & 17 seemed just par for the course for a distraught serial winner who has lost his way in the woods. Even then few would have imagined what followed at the 18th, with the exception of Woods who must have been scripting the horror real time in the maze of muddled head.

His drive flew left, ending in the creek. Woods took a drop and left his approach just short of the green. The chip shot that followed would have left even a club player embarrassed.  It rolled far enough to have been farther than his position earlier. As if that wasn’t already enough drama for an entire day, he sank his next into the sand, eventually taking a quadruple bogey.

There was enough evidence just at the 18th, only the sixth quadruple of his career, to showcase how confused Tiger has become with basic golf. And going by that evidence, it is hard to believe that the best of golf coaches might be of any help. Perhaps the only thing that could help Tiger rediscover his glory is some time away from the game and a happy family. Neither seems an easy possibility for Woods in his present state of being.

As Woods marched through the Muirfield course on Sunday, playing solo for the first time ever, the sight was a far cry from the days when he stood solo at the top. Those were times when he was sailing head and shoulders above his bewildered competiton. In his final round today, Woods was serving the sentence for lying in a heap at the bottom of the pile, nearly unrecognisable from the days of yore when he was scripting folklore every step of the way.

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