On April 10, 2005, in the 16th hole at Augusta, Ernie els crafted the best possible highlight of his career, a fragile chip shot that stuck, curled and hung to have an eternity about the lip with the hole before looking at.
Seven years later almost for the day, in the exact same hole, Woods had among his worst on-course meltdowns being a pro. Sending his tee shot wide directly into the bunker that lines saving money, Woods dropped his club in disgust, then kicked it of the tee box. With a course that frowns with an indiscretion as minor as as running, it absolutely was the equivalent of wiping onto your nose on a green jacket.
The irony from the tantrum is the fact that Woods' tee shot wasn't that bad, and that he managed to escape the outlet with just a bogey. However it was emblematic of the round that began with your promise - two birdies inside the first three holes - simply to cascade in to a cringe-worthy collection of missed putts and missed opportunities.
If Bay Hill was the Ernie els of old, inexorably grabbing after which holding charge, Friday at Augusta was the Ernie els of 2010-11, fumbling around on the familiar course and searching on each and every shot like disaster was imminent. He sent shots in to the sand, to the woods, to the crowd ... virtually everywhere but in to the hole. His body gestures was beyond rotten, all slumped shoulders and frustration ... reasonable contrast to playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez, who strutted and wielded his club like he was get yourself ready for batting practice.
The thing that makes watching Woods this kind of frustrating experience is always that even now, all hope isn't lost. He finished the round at +3, one shot much better than his worst performance ever in the Masters, but nevertheless he's only eight strokes behind the first choice. That's a huge gap, however with two days left to try out, not an insurmountable one. Just a year ago, Woods cut seven strokes from the lead in a single day.
At Augusta, Woods has got the potential to intensify and access the old mojo, to plug into the vibe that won him four green jackets. However, he's also got the opportunity to implode, to produce a mockery of the latter days of Augusta the way in which he destroyed Atlanta Athletic Club on the PGA Championship last summer.
In any event, Tiger won't have trouble letting us understand how he feels.
Seven years later almost for the day, in the exact same hole, Woods had among his worst on-course meltdowns being a pro. Sending his tee shot wide directly into the bunker that lines saving money, Woods dropped his club in disgust, then kicked it of the tee box. With a course that frowns with an indiscretion as minor as as running, it absolutely was the equivalent of wiping onto your nose on a green jacket.
The irony from the tantrum is the fact that Woods' tee shot wasn't that bad, and that he managed to escape the outlet with just a bogey. However it was emblematic of the round that began with your promise - two birdies inside the first three holes - simply to cascade in to a cringe-worthy collection of missed putts and missed opportunities.
If Bay Hill was the Ernie els of old, inexorably grabbing after which holding charge, Friday at Augusta was the Ernie els of 2010-11, fumbling around on the familiar course and searching on each and every shot like disaster was imminent. He sent shots in to the sand, to the woods, to the crowd ... virtually everywhere but in to the hole. His body gestures was beyond rotten, all slumped shoulders and frustration ... reasonable contrast to playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez, who strutted and wielded his club like he was get yourself ready for batting practice.
The thing that makes watching Woods this kind of frustrating experience is always that even now, all hope isn't lost. He finished the round at +3, one shot much better than his worst performance ever in the Masters, but nevertheless he's only eight strokes behind the first choice. That's a huge gap, however with two days left to try out, not an insurmountable one. Just a year ago, Woods cut seven strokes from the lead in a single day.
At Augusta, Woods has got the potential to intensify and access the old mojo, to plug into the vibe that won him four green jackets. However, he's also got the opportunity to implode, to produce a mockery of the latter days of Augusta the way in which he destroyed Atlanta Athletic Club on the PGA Championship last summer.
In any event, Tiger won't have trouble letting us understand how he feels.
