R.I.P. "Tiger Is Close," April 2010-March 2012

The dreaded phrase "Tiger is close," first uttered following an initial birdie early into Woods' return at the 2010 Masters and to virtual absurdity after each hint of his previous golfing prowess right up until the morning of his 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational victory, has died.

"Tiger is close" succumbed at 23 months, just a month shy of his 2-year-anniversary.

Woods, who had not won a PGA Tour event in three years but had exhibited a healthy dose of his trademark play and improved ball striking compared to his pre-2009 accident days, continued to hear the phrase used in conjunction with his game from all corners of the world. Even following a thrilling win at the 2011 Chevron World Challenge, recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking as a points-earning victory, Woods' game was subjected to repeated "close" references in various forms and on all media platforms. Earnest but at times painfully-desperate Golf Channel personalities were typically the worst offenders.

"They really rode the phrase to death, not just on the air but also on Twitter," said Terry Posthumous of Golf Media Matters. "Just this morning I heard them use it ad nauseum and frankly, the entire golf media can put the over-used phrase to rest. But it will go down as a very special two years for inanity."

Arrangements are pending, but it is believed a ceremony to retire the phrase is being planned by Woods spokesman Glenn Greenspan for Tuesday, April 3rd in the Masters Media Center, five minutes before Woods takes the podium to address the press. Woods is said to be "close" to making a decision on whether to attend the service.

Stinger Turns Into Screaming Hook; Tiger Still Up By 1

Larry Dorman on Tiger's prospects heading into the Arnold Palmer Invitational final round with a one shot lead:

Woods's record with the third-round lead is daunting, 48-4. But Woods has lost three of the last five times he has held or shared the 54-hole lead.

So, which will it be on Sunday? The Woods whose presence on the leaderboard with lead in hand was virtually unbeatable on Sunday? Or the more vulnerable Woods of recent times, who surrendered leads at the 2009 PGA Championship, the 2010 Chevron World Challenge and the 2012 Abu Dhabi Championship?

"I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing what happens," Woods said, smiling.

Bob Harig on a confident-sounding pursuer in Graeme McDowell, one shot back.

"The atmosphere is going to be fantastic out there tomorrow, due to him being in the mix," McDowell said.

"There's going to be a nice amount of expectations on him tomorrow, trying to complete the comeback.

"He's still got to win," McDowell said. "Still got to go win tomorrow like the rest of us have to."

Farrell Evans asks, "What's at stake for Tiger on Sunday?

His legacy is secure as a one of the greatest players of all-time, but a win at Bay Hill could signal a new period of growth in his career and a check on those who seek to completely dethrone him as the barometer of great play on the world scene.

Steve Elling thinks a wild and wacky 2012 is about to get even more interesting Sunday.

In a season filled with riveting finishes, careening crashes and Sunday shootouts, this could be the white-knuckle Maalox ride to top them all. Reclamation beckons for the world's biggest sports figure, and Woods almost casually said he's ready to answer the doorbell.

"I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing what happens," he said, as calmly as he would order a pizza.

Now, there's this business of Tiger's OB-hook on the 15th hole. You can see it within ESPN's highlight package.  Or this YouTube video that Yahoo's Jonathan Wall posted, and which the PGA Tour's finest censors are complaining to YouTube about as we watch it.

Wall explained what caused Tiger to flinch.

A woman screamed during Woods' backswing, after her teenage son fainted. So, yeah, that probably played a role in the errant shot.

Woods commented on the incident after the round, saying: "Yeah, we're finding out what happened, there was an 18‑year‑old kid that passed out right at the concession stand, hit, and she yelled, and it happened to be right in midway on my downswing, and I tried to stop it but I passed the point of no return.  I stopped it and flipped it out‑of‑bounds."

The transcript includes Tiger's comments about the moment.

Here's the video:

Amazingly, the PGA Tour Productions highlights leave out the Woods out-of-bounds shot.

Klein On Big Miss: "The result makes for an alarming look at an athlete whose public glories masked a day-to-day existence of profound superficiality."

I'm early in the book, but Brad Klein of Golfweek has the same positive impression of The Big Miss, as evidenced in this quick online review:

Even more revealing than the swing material is evidence of Woods’ emotional blank wall: his indifference to people around him, his inability to empathize, and an obsession with military training and the Navy SEALS that, according to Haney, probably led to the leg injuries which have hampered Woods’ golf career.

How much of this is Haney’s insight and how much of this is due to his writing collaborator, Jaime Diaz, can only be a matter of speculation. The result makes for an alarming look at an athlete whose public glories masked a day-to-day existence of profound superficiality.

"When he returned to golf at the 2010 Masters, Tiger Woods broke par all four rounds. He has not done that at any tournament since then."

From Doug Ferguson's AP notes column. Oddly, I have to marvel more at the notion that he broke par all four rounds in his first event back. It really was an amazing performance.