Foley Says Kostis Mangled Tiger Swing Analysis

Pete McDaniel talks to instructor Sean Foley, who explains how CBS on-course reporter Peter Kostis got it wrong in breaking down Tiger's swing last weekend when he described Tiger's clubface as being "toed-in'' when it really was the opposite.

Foley went on to explain that the shot was actually executed with an open clubface. Through body rotation Tiger imparted right-to-left spin on the ball and that's what made it curve.

"His clubface was open say three degrees and his body rotation amounted to four degrees. That's what produced the draw.''

Hank On Tiger Catching Jack: Odds "Probably" Not Favoring Woods

Robert Lusetich on Tiger's presser today and his former coach's assessment of catching or surpassing Jack Nicklaus' 18 major wins.

“Remember, Jack won only four majors after the age of 36,” Haney says.

“The last one at 46 — the 1986 Masters — was a miracle even to Jack, so it seems like giving Tiger 40 more chances is generous.

“You also have to assume that Tiger is able to stay healthy and avoid any other kind of personal turmoil that could derail his pursuit of Jack's record.”

Ryan Lavner with the highlights from Tiger's press conference Tuesday at Kiawah, including compliments for Pete Dye and this about joining Phil Mickelson as a pro sports team owner:

• On whether he would consider becoming a co-owner of his favorite sports team in the future: “Absolutely. I just need a lot more money. My teams are the Lakers, Dodgers and Raiders, so I’ve got to play really well.”

The video:

Monty Blasts Tiger's Austerity Approach

Jim Black reports on Colin Montgomerie's critical account of Tiger's play at Lytham in the wake of Andy Murray's aggressive play in the Olympic tennis.

As usual, Monty almost got it right.

"The Olympic title isn't a grand slam event but, at the same time, for Murray to go back to the court where he lost to Federer a month before and produce such an amazing win took a lot of doing. He tried to attack in their previous match, but Federer forced him on to the defence, while Woods always looked like he was playing for a place in the Open and third is what he got. You've got to bring out the driver and attack at some point, not constantly hit 3-irons and end up two-putting from 40 feet. Using your driver is part of the game, surely.

"I don't think Tiger is confident using his driver, having watched him spend two and a half minutes deciding which club to hit on the 11th tee at Lytham and, when he did make up his mind, he almost lost his ball.

"Murray showed that the way to win is by being aggressive and attacking. He beat the two best players in the world, Federer and Djokovic, to prove that he is as good as anyone in the game."

Now I know you've all committed my Golf World story about Tiger's week at Lytham to memory, but in case you didn't read it yet, I focused on the moment at the 11th tee because I was sitting there listening to the conversation between Tiger and LaCava thanks to intimate spectator roping.

It was a key moment and he did eventually hit driver. Instead of hitting a slight draw, which was necessary to offset the left-to-right wind, Tiger did hit the slight cut he'd been hitting and the wind took it about 30 yards right of the fairway in a mashed down rough area. So Monty got part of it right. 

That said, we will find out this week if it was a confidence situation or simply his strategic approach to Lytham, which, as I wrote in the story, kept him in contention but when the time came to shake the reins and make a move at 13 and 14, he stuck to the plan. At 7,767 yards and soft, Tiger won't have a choice this week.

Tiger First Off At Kiawah, And Have You Heard, It's Bloody Hot!

The Post Courier's Jeff Hartsell is the local man on the spot this week (Twitter link here) and reports that Tiger was first out at Kiawah this morning for the PGA Championship and besides the dying winds today, players are noticing that it's a tad warm.  (At least the T-storm chance drops to 40% starting Thursday.)

But Tiger's "start lines" are good, so we can all relax now.

“I putted well the last two days, which was good,” he said. “I made some putts. And more importantly, I hit the ball on my start lines, and that’s something I did not do the first couple days. I misread a couple, but that’s just the way it goes. But at least every putt was starting on the right line, and that’s something that I’m very excited about going into next week.”

Tiger, PGA Tour Commit To Malaysia

Tiger has committed to play the CIMB Classic in 2012 (Oct. 25-28), but more intriguing than that news was the confirmation that starting in 2013, the stop will be an official part of the PGA Tour schedule and FedExCup.

CIMB Group also announced that beginning in 2013, the CIMB Classic will be upgraded to an Official Money Event on the PGA TOUR and will be part of the season-long FedExCup competition. The field will also be expanded to include a minimum of 78 players and will carry a total purse of $7 million.

Wow, 78 players for $7 million and FedExCup points? The rich get richer!

"The plan has always been to become a full fledged event of the PGA TOUR, so this is fantastic news for us, for Malaysia and for the region," said Nazir as he announced that CIMB had signed a new five-year deal with PGA TOUR.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said, "In just two years, the CIMB Classic has become an important part of the PGA TOUR schedule and we are excited that this relationship has been extended for an additional five years. The tournament will continue to grow in stature as it becomes an official event and part of the FedExCup in our 2013-2014 season."

"Congratulations to the nation of Malaysia and the CIMB Group on this important announcement," added Finchem.

Budding Bromance: Branden Grace Unabashedly Declares For Tiger

The quote in Randall Mell's item on Grace's third day in a row paired with Tiger reads like Grace is being held at gun point...and no I looked, he's not represented by Steiny. Yet.

“I hadn’t played with him before, but now, to have played with him three days in a row, has been unreal,” Grace said. “I've learned a hell of a lot from playing with him. The way he plays shots, the way he handles himself and things like that, has been great.  He's there because he is the best in the world. I've seen it now, and I think people really criticize him, that is wrong.  He's one hell of a guy, and he's pretty much the nicest guy I've ever played with.”

There is something wrong if Tiger is this agreeable to play with. Mercifully, they are not paired together again tomorrow.

A Closer Look At Tiger's 2012 Open Championship Week

I had the task of tracking Tiger for Golf World and I was fascinated by his conservative approach, something detailed in my story. Reading it again after filing Monday morning I probably reported a little too much blow-by-blow of his final round, but he still had a chance to win after his unlucky triple bogey.

However, the inability to fight the wind with a draw at 11 and the stubbornness to play safe at 13 and 14 when he need to shake the reins and press the pedal, took him out of the tournament as much the triple did.

Anyway...here it is.

Tiger: "He sticks almost slavishly to his strategy of conservatism at all costs"

John Huggan analyzes Tiger's conservative strategy of just five drivers through three rounds and comes away impressed but also points out why it might not work with Sunday's breeze.

And this week is similar. So far, the longest club in his bag has made only five appearances, as the 14-time major champion has plotted his way around a sadly soft and almost becalmed Royal Lytham.

James Lawton in the Independent was less impressed.

It was not the scoring, which saw Scott denied an eagle by the barest margin and the Tiger always giving himself too much to do to glean a birdie, but the profound difference in their strategies.

Really, it was a gulf. Scott slugged a drive with immense power and control. The Tiger once more elected to go with an iron. Scott powered his second shot beyond the pin. Woods was well short of the green. Even after the years of crisis, the convulsions in his life and the disruptions brought by injury, it did seem like another small defeat among many.

Oliver Brown's Telegraph story was headlined, "Tiger Woods' refusal to gamble leaves him struggling to reel in leader Adam Scott."

He sticks almost slavishly to his strategy of conservatism at all costs, refusing to swap his long irons for the driver as he resisted flirtation with Lytham’s 206 bunkers, but the approach succeeded only in increasing the deficit to Scott, the more enterprising Australian.

Why did he not take a few gambles? Why would he not try to intimidate Scott with his power-hitting? The questions were left hanging in the air on Saturday night, answerable only by Woods’s apparent assumption that Scott, still a flaky performer in the type of stiff winds forecast on Sunday, could yet falter. For a man five shots off the pace, though, that seems a bold supposition.

Tiger Bunker Shot Photo: Wrong Place, Right Time

Classic shot from Glyn Kirk of Getty Images who theoretically was in the worst possible spot to capture Tiger's 18th hole bunker hole-out, yet got the best image of Woods and the crowd.

Here's a Zapruder version of the shot and reaction.

The ESPN interview and highlight package:

Tiger On His 67, Video Of His Super Slow-Mo Divot Shot

From ESPN, the post round Tom Rinaldi interview including a Tiger sneeze and a replay of his wild finish from a divot that could have caused injury.

Tiger Ably Describes Rough "Almost Unplayable" In Spots; UK Papers Declare His Shock, Horror And Sadness!

Last night I read but could not post Bob Harig's story catching up with Tiger Woods following his Sunday practice round at Lytham.

Tiger described what he saw:

Woods noted that the rough is more difficult than he remembered it at Lytham, likely due to the prolific rain the area has seen. "In some places, it is almost unplayable,'' he said.

Nonetheless, Woods was thankful to see the course on a relatively nice day, with the sun shining and the wind blowing.

Yet The Guardian described Woods as "shocked," the Daily Mail says Woods "fears" the hay, the BBC says he is "questioning" the tall stuff, the Mirror says he was less than "polite," while the Telegraph offered the more modest suggestion that Tiger is "keen to avoid" the rough.

Justice? Tiger And Phil Won't Get To Experience A Greenbrier July Weekend

A few of you emailed to ask if Greenbrier founder Jim Justice gets a break on the purported appearance fees he paid to lure Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to the West Virginia resort (which looked incredible in the late evening light during Golf Channel's rain delay bonus coverage).

We'll never know what the arrangement was, but both legends have gone home early. Tom Watson, Geezer, has made the cut.

First, Steve Elling on Phil Mickelson's mini-slump heading into the Open Championship, where he nearly won last year.

Mickelson several times this year has admitted to being unable to shake himself from a lethargic state on the course, which certainly seems to be reflected in his play. He was looking for answers Friday, too.

For the second year in a row.

“I don't get it,” Mickelson said. “I certainly struggled a little bit on the greens both years, but nothing that should have led to these scores.”

Mickelson three-putted his first hole from 15 feet, missed another short one later in his front nine, and never really recovered. He also absorbed a one-shot penalty early when he dropped his ball on his marker, dislodging the coin.

"It doesn't feel like the parts are that far off," he said, "but I'm not putting them together."

It didn't help that Mickelson had a one-shot penalty for a fluke incident where he dropped his marker and it hit his ball. Jonathan Wall with the details.

Meanwhile a Golfweek.com staff report explains Tiger's woes: the putter.

Despite a shaky start, Tiger got it going over his final nine holes, but missed birdie putts at Nos. 13 and 15 proved costly as he fired a 1-under 69 to miss the cut at the Greenbrier Classic by a single shot.

"I didn't quite have it," Woods said. "I drove it really good today and I just did not have the feel for the distances. The ball was just going forever. I know we're at altitude, but I just couldn't get the ball hit pin high no matter what I did, and subsequently, I made some bogeys."

The second round highlights: