Numbers lie: Tiger's getting back to his old self
By Steve Elling | CBSSports.com Senior Writer Follow StevePARAMUS, N.J. -- There's the number on the scorecard, on the tour scoreboard or flashing on your home computer screen.
Like with many vestiges of Tiger Woods' professional and personal life of late, it only provides partial glimpses of the day's developments. As we have learned, what seems obvious doesn't remotely tell the whole story.
|
|
| 'A good weekend, you play around here and post good numbers, you'll move up the board,' Tiger Woods says. (Getty Images) |
But aside from the maddening math, the second round of the FedEx Cup series opener provided yet another indication that normalcy has returned, that the PGA Tour planets are back in alignment and that Woods might be prepared to stop digging any deeper into his personal abyss.
"I didn't hit it bad at all -- I hit it really good," Woods said. "I hit as good as I did yesterday. If I don't make putts, I don't shoot the scores."
You can shoot holes in his score, because it was better than it looked, which hasn't often been the case this year with the sputtering world No. 1. For the second day in a row, partly because he throttled back to his 3-wood all day, he found all but one fairway.
Write this one down or hit the print button on your browser, because you might never see it again: Woods ranks first in driving accuracy after 36 holes, though it's partly because he's only hit the driver twice in two days.
After all the misguided missiles off the tee this year, that fact alone suggests the carnage of three weeks ago at Firestone has been relegated to a nightmare memory and the head bob that had dogged his swing -- making it look more like the diving swipe of Natalie Gulbis than the guy who won 14 majors -- is nowhere to be seen.
The putting was pretty forgettable, for sure, which is a portion of his game that continues to generate plenty of red flares. But across the board, in matters that also relate to mood and mindset, this week has looked like a convention of the conventional.
It's starting to look and sound just like old times.
For instance, there were three or four incredibly telling indicators that Tiger Town has taken down the hurricane shutters and has reopened the doors for business.
With Woods atop the leaderboard at 8 under as he played his 11th hole, the media throng that has again rediscovered him possibly cost him a shot. Woods missed the green and was standing over a pitch from the rough when a photographer fired off a series of pictures on his downswing, and Woods blasted the ball 25 feet past the hole.
Caddie Steve Williams gave the woman a death stare and Woods yelled, "Come on."
"I flinched, I threw the club down at the same time to hopefully make contact," he said. "Luckily I didn't fat it or blade it, but she timed it well."
When Tee-Dud and Stevie are beefing at the shooters, it's a sure sign the trademark feistiness has returned. That was just the prelude.
One hole later, a group on the adjoining ninth tee had to delay play because of the gallery following Woods' threesome, which attracted the usual pack of fawning fans, devotees and first-time knuckleheads. The gallery marshals were asleep at the wheel and the crowd spilled into the ninth, causing at least one of the players to back off a shot.
| The Barclays -- Second Round |
| Related links |
| Video |
Eventually, two caddies and Ernie Els complained to the marshals as they walked past, and the South African was particularly agitated, barking, "There's other ... players on the golf course."
When those other players are complaining about Tiger mania, that's another sign that the old status quo has come full circle.
Twenty minutes after that, Woods missed perhaps the shortest putt anybody had seen him botch as a professional, seemingly rushing a par putt from 20 inches after a birdie effort on the fifth hole missed. He didn't mark the ball, didn't take much time over it, and then gunned it past the hole for an ugly bogey as the crowd gasped.
Woods then walked to the edge of the green and hawked up a chunk of lung cheese in disgust, all caught on television. Great expectorations was not a book by Dickens, but whenever Woods is spitting mad, it's usually a good indication that he is holding himself to the highest standard. Except maybe behaviorally.
Afterward, he explained the embarrassing mental error in classically deflective Woods form.
"The ball was sitting in the hole, I could see it," he said of the 20-incher for par. "I was trying to hit up on it and hook it like I normally do. I didn't do it. I blocked it. Exact opposite of what I was trying to do."
Which, of course, doesn't explain why he didn't mark the ball and take his time before he hit it. But anytime Woods is offering up eye-rolling explanations that everybody knows are a half-step shy of pure fiction, that means full-blown normalcy can't be far behind.
Getting back to the actual scoreboard, Woods finished the day four shots off the lead of 22-year-old Aussie Jason Day, who has one tour victory.
"A good weekend, you play around here and post good numbers, you'll move up the board," Woods said. "The guys aren't going to be tearing this place apart."
Comparatively based on how he has played the past few months, Woods is tearing up the joint already. His swing looks inestimably better than three weeks ago, his attitude seems appreciably brighter and his body language no longer radiates failure. After months of indifference, around the scoring center, other players were again asking reporters how Woods has played.
Cue the theme to Jaws.
After Woods concluded his post-round post-mortem and was walking toward the clubhouse, some lava-lunged guy with a Jersey accent shouted his support.
"New beginning, Tiger," he belched. "New beginning."
If Woods keeps progressing at this clip, we might soon get the same old ending. You know, like the ones we've seen 71 times on the PGA Tour already.
