Tiger: "Is it concerning? No."

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Yes it's been five years and Steve DiMeglio shares some disconcerting numbers about Tiger's weekends in the majors, but I still think the overanalysis will be a tad excessive in the coming weeks. Most will disagree.

But for now, here's Tiger's assessment of his 2013 in majors. From DiMeglio's USA Today story:

"Is it concerning?" a dejected Woods said when asked about not winning a major in more than five years. "No. I've been there in half of them. So that's about right. If you are going to be in there three-quarters or half of them with a chance to win on the back nine, you have just got to get it done.

"I was right there and certainly had a chance to win the Masters and the British this year. The other two, I just didn't hit it good enough. Just the way it goes."

For the year, he broke 70 once in 16 rounds of majors and hasn't broken 70 in 16 consecutive weekend rounds in majors. Putting woes have been his major nemesis in the last two rounds of majors for some time. This week, however, he fought his swing, saying his takeaway was a fraction off.

The firm of Lerner, Chamblee, Nobilo and Montgomerie broke down Tiger's week on Live From.

Tiger: Fiery Muirfield Similar To Hoylake In '06

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Lee Wybranski's official Open graphic (click to enlarge)From Tiger Woods' Tuesday morning press conference, where it sounds like he and many others won't be using driver very often:

This golf course is playing similar to that. It's quick. And so far I've played a couple of days now, three days, and I've only hit a couple of drivers here. I remember Jason was playing with me the other day and he hadn't hit a driver yet. A lot of irons off the tees. Some of the holes, 4-iron was going 280. 3-iron is going a little over 300 yards. So it's quick. That's on this wind. So obviously it could change. Like what we had in '02, it could come out of the northeast and it could be a totally different golf course.

Q. Does it matter, the amount that the ball runs on the fairway after it lands has got to be the important thing?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it's being able to control that as best you possibly can. Downwind holes, that if you hit -- I've hit 3-wood, I'll run probably close to 80, 90 yards. Sometimes a little bit more than that. And you can chase balls that can go a long ways. And on 17 yesterday I hit 3-iron, 3-iron over the green. And granted, it's just all in the run. It all depends on where you land it. It could land into a slope and get killed or land on the backside and it could shoot forward another 40, 50 yards. And that's the neat thing about links golf, is that it's predictable, but also unpredictable at the same time.

Remembering Tiger's 81 Day In '02 Open

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Nice package of pre-Open stories from ESPN.com, starting with Bob Harig taking the weather/Tiger angle first.

Even better though was this anecdote from Steve Elkington, who reminds us how quickly things can turn at Muirfield.

He had returned to the Auld Hoose, a pub just around the corner from where he was renting a place in the nearby town of North Berwick.

"It sits just above the port there, and the harbor is so old that they have stone gates to let boats in and out,'' Elkington recalled. "After the Friday round, I go into the Auld Hoose and there's an old guy who has a silver jug that they just leave for him. They call him the harbor master, and he has this big, long beard.
"So I'm in there on the Friday night and he pulls me off to the side. 'Listen to me. The weather is going to be s--- at about 3 p.m. tomorrow.' He could tell from the current. 'I'm telling you, it is going to be s---.' ''

Elkington got out early and shot a 3-under-par 68, one of just four players to score in the 60s all day.

"I come back to the Auld Hoose and I went in the back to have a sleep in one of the rooms,'' Elkington said.

"When I came back out, two hours later, I looked out the front door, and there was a guy crawling along hands and knees trying to get in the pub, the weather was so bad. Now I'm watching the scoreboard and I'm going from 40th to 30th and then into the top 10. It was a great break.''

Gene Wojciechowski talks to Mark O'Meara about old buddy Woods. O'Meara and Woods, carpooled to Muirfield with him in '02. Tiger vowed a Sunday 65 to O'Meara after the 81.

"There is something about Tiger Woods: There is no quit in him -- zero," says O'Meara. "I understand injuries. I understand personal issues. I get all of that. But that guy right there is the ultimate competitor."

On the drive home that day, Woods told O'Meara that he already had a plan for Sunday's round. He said he was going to shoot 65 and get back to even-par for the tournament.

O'Meara was on the range that Sunday when he noticed Woods was already 4-under on the front nine. He turned to his caddie and said, "See? There you go. That's typical Tiger Woods. Never give up."

Woods shot 65 and got to even-par but -- and O'Meara loves reminding everyone of this -- finished one stroke behind O'Meara.

Accompanying the package is a segment that includes a hilarious shot of a fan battling his umbrella and overall misery. Maybe I find it hilarious because the forecast this week is looking promising still...for now.

Tiger On Muirfield: "These fairways have some fire to them."

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18th fairway at Muirfield Sunday (click to enlarge)Early Muirfield assessment by Tiger Woods, courtesy of Bob Harig:

"It's obviously playing a lot quicker than it did in '02,'' Woods said. "These fairways have some fire to them. The greens aren't up to speed but I'm sure they will get there. It's been dry over here. This place is firm. We're hitting the ball a long ways downwind.''

As an example, at the par-4 eighth, Woods took a 3-iron off the tee on the doglog hole and hit it too far. He switched to a 4-iron to keep the ball in play.

"That 4-iron just went 285,'' he said.

Punters: Elbow Fine, Tiger Woods Tells TigerWoods.com

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Tracking down Tiger Woods while he waiting to purchase a latte** in Terminal 5 at Heathrow where he awaited a connecting Flybe flight to Edinburgh, a TigerWoods.com cub reporter managed to get the World No.1 on the record about his injured elbow.

As posted on TigerWoods.com:

I started chipping and putting a little over a week ago and I'm full go for the British Open. I'm very confident that my left elbow strain won't be a problem and I will be able to hit all the shots I need to hit. That's why I took the time off, so it could heal, and I would feel comfortable playing again. I'm still taking anti-inflammatory medication for my elbow and getting treatment, but the big thing at Muirfield Golf Club will be to avoid the rough.

Woods is 8-1 or 9-1 depending on which bookmaker you should so desire.

The reporter at TigerWoods.com also elicited many comments from Woods about links golf and his recent AT&T National event at Congressional.

**Sources tell me exclusively he was buying a one-week supply of Pimms in the duty free shop along with a Keep Calm Carry On refrigerator magnet for his rental house this week.

Why Tiger Has A Boat Called Privacy Files: Merion Housing Edition

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Jere Longman looked at Merion's successful week and some of the stuff that went on behind the scenes.

He included this anecdote that is yet another reminder why...ah you know the drill.

Woods was the subject of countless rumors about his living arrangements during the Open, all entertaining, none necessarily reliant on the truth.

One rumor, debunked by a police officer assigned to Woods, had him installing a pool at his rental house. On Sunday, Joe DiTomo, a volunteer driver for the players, said that Woods reportedly grew upset with the house and moved into a hotel.

“I wouldn’t repeat it,” DiTomo said, “but I heard it from a nun on the way to church. I didn’t realize nuns followed golf.”

Tiger And Evening Golf At Masterful Merion

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During the late evening restart Tiger Woods made it clear that he experiencing serious pain in his left wrist. I walked with the all-star pairing of Woods-Rory McIlroy-Adam Scott in the storm cloud-filtered light as they tackled their final three holes and Woods’ favoring of the wrist overshadowed a rejuvenated-looking McIlroy and an intense Scott (who had a wonderfully spirited exchange with caddie Stevie Williams about the 10th tee strategy).
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Just A Mood Brightener For Your Midweek Blues: Sergio Garcia Sat Down To Pen Tiger Woods An Apology Note

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There is justice!

I'm not sure why the mental image provides such pleasure--maybe it's the thought of Sergio ala Nicholas Cage in Adaptation working through writers block and taking an hour just to write the words Dear Tiger,--but the handwritten note was the big reveal from Tuesday's U.S. Open press conferences at Merion.

Sam Weinman with the lowdown and final chapter in the saga between these lovebirds...well, until they are paired together.

When bad weather rolled in Monday afternoon, Garcia lost track of Woods and never got a chance to see him again. That left him to leave a note for Woods in the locker room. Whether Woods read it or not is something he wasn't willing to acknowledge -- only saying that Garcia never apologized to him in person and that he had bigger things to worry about.

"It's already done," Woods said. "We've already gone through it all. It's time for the U.S. Open."

Should you want, here are parts of their press conferences. Starting with Sergio.



And Tiger.

"Hogan and Woods a lot alike"

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Gene Wojciechowski took his life into his own hands and posed the above thought to Hogan fan supreme Dan Jenkins over Carshon's Deli chocolate pie.

Jenkins' eyes narrowed and for a moment I thought he was going to stab me with my car sun visor. Remember, this week's U.S. Open is the 60th of Jenkins' brilliant sportswriting career and his 218th major. And it is being played on sacred ground: Merion Golf Club, where Hogan won the 1950 U.S. Open, just 16 months after nearly losing his life in a car crash.

There was a painful pause, nearly as long as it takes Kevin Na to line up a putt, before Jenkins finally said, "How so?"

Wojciechowski's comparison is pretty good, even Dan might...might have to admit.

They each completely retooled their golf swings and then totally committed themselves to those changes.

They understood that the secret, as Hogan once said, "was in the dirt." Translation: Practice until your callouses had callouses.

They had little or no respect for players who didn't work hard.

They were aware of their critics, detractors and doubters, remembered every word, and used the criticism as motivation.

They were essentially loners: loyal to a select few; careful, guarded to most everyone else.

Tiger sat down with Wojciechowski for ESPN's Sunday Night Conversation: