Tiger Assures Concerned Media Industry That Putting Woes Fixable "In About A Day"
Day two of the match play is complete and your sweet sixteen is set: Snedeker, Rory, Kaymer, Kuchar, Westwood, Watney, Hanson, Jimenez, Laird, Lawrie, Stricker, Mahan, Wilson, Dustin, Senden and Moon.
Thursday's AP match notes (in an itty-bitty font size) include items on Hunter Mahan's stunning 9 birdies in 15 holes, Dustin Johnson's rout, the Lawrie-Laird Scottish showdown and Hanson's easy win over Ernie Els.
Jim McCabe with round 3 predictions and tee times. Gary Van Sickle's day three picks. Alex Myers with his day three picks.
As for day two's most prominent loss, travel agents were overwhelmed by calls from media outlets trying to get their folks out of town following Tiger's defeat at the hands of Nick Watney. From Doug Ferguson's game story:
In what is becoming a troubling trend for Woods, he missed the birdie putt so badly that it never even touched the hole, giving Watney a 1-up victory Thursday in the Match Play Championship.
It was the third straight time that Woods, a three-time champion in this event, failed to get out of the second round.
"I didn't miss a single shot coming in, which is good. And that was fun, to hit the ball that well," Woods said. "Unfortunately, I just didn't make a putt when I needed it."
Woods missed three putts inside 10 feet over the last six holes, none more important than the last one.
Jeff Rude thinks Woods was partly a victim of Nicklaus's unpopular Dove Mountain greens.
The greens here on the Jack Nicklaus design are wild and hilly. They are tricky because of all the slopes and grain and valley effect. Figuring out a putt can be like taking a science exam.
Woods did not pass.
He missed seven putts inside of 15 feet, all but one for birdies. Five of the misses were in the range of 5-10 feet. The longest of the three birdie putts he made was 6 feet, on a 335-yard driveable par 4; the two others were tap-ins on par 5s. His longest make was on a 14 1/2-foot par save at the fifth.
“They’re hard to read,” he said for the second day.
They seemed to baffle him from start to painful finish. After a terrific drive and 188-yard approach shot at the 480-yard 18th, he missed an uphill 5 1/2-foot birdie putt that would have won the hole and extended the match.
Steve Elling observes that Tiger needs his A game to win these days.
In fact, if there's anything we've learned over the past 2 1/2 years, it's that Woods can no longer win with his so-called B Game. It's been a talking point for months, though mostly in the form of locker-room whispers, and it was underscored again this week when he barely escaped his careening, opening-round match with a 1-up win.
In fact, if he putts the way he has in his two PGA Tour starts -- which included missing five times from five feet or closer in the final round at Pebble Beach -- he's going to have trouble winning matches for pocket money at his home club in South Florida.
"I should be able to fix it in about a day," Woods said tersely.
Um, with all due respect, we're going on, like, three years. At least compared to what we've grown accustomed to seeing, anyway.
Robert Lusetich couldn't help but note the artistry of Tiger's post round analysis.
"I hit the ball well all day today. Unfortunately, I just did not make enough putts to extend the match."
This is his standard fallback position when there are bigger picture questions begging for answers.
Baffle his questioners with the minutae of mechanics.
But what does it all mean, Tiger?
Maybe not much?
Maybe it's just that he doesn't like this course — and he's not alone in that — and wants to get back to the comfort of Florida, where next week he tees it up at the Honda Classic?
Maybe being back on Bermuda greens is the elixir?
Thursday's highlights:
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 09:33 PM
Reader Comments (35)
""I should be able to fix it in about a day," Woods said tersely.
Um, with all due respect, we're going on, like, three years. At least compared to what we've grown accustomed to seeing, anyway."
Bingo!!!!! Nice article by Steve here............
There is no fix for the yips...once you get the yips, they are with you for life...like herpes.
Tiger needs a face balanced putter and change his stroke to a straight back and thru. He thinks like a robot thus he needs a robot like stroke.
They all play the same course. Learn to like it, or learn to go home early.
This is a lot of coverage for the 20th ranked player and someone defeated in the 2nd round.
Back on on topic, Tiger said he's shutting it going back, which is almost impossible. I suspect it's just not opening as much as it used to and then his feel is messed up. To me that sounds like a problem of steering the stroke instead of letting it flow.
And that's mental.
K1P
It would appear that those who moved on were not baffled by the greens,
"Why did TW switch to the Nike putter?"
To paraphrase the great Tammy Wynette - A-L-I-M-O-N-E-Y (sic)
Contrary to Lusetich's opinion he did putt well on Sunday in Abu Dhabi (just not on Thurs, although he wasn't giving himself 5ft it was more like 15ft again wedge game is off). But this is now 3 bad putting rounds in a row. I would suggest he spend less time on driving range and more on putting.
And just bc the greens roll better than your local course doesn't mean they aren't silly.
He putted poorly.
He lost a close one.
End of story.
Ah....my favorite: predictions from an uninformed nobody. (Oh, but nice use of a cliche that hasn't been uttered since the 1950's.)
Another Fearless Forecast based on the gossamer promise of exactly WHAT EVIDENCE?
I think you jest but if not, please put the crack pipe down.
My snarlyness is directed to the golf TV networks...who cringe when they lose the "big stars"...ratings plunge, advertisers whine, talking heads are at a loss for words. I am well aware of Hanson's game and will enjoy watching him play and wish him well. As for Bae, he is actually one of my early Masters picks. Both men can play...but the golf media has made individual "star power" more important than the game. I grew up believing the game was more important than the players.