“It’s been a long year … It’s been a long year.”
That was Tiger Woods on Sunday after he finished 18-over par at the Bridgestone Invitational, which was the worst score of his career in a PGA Tour event. In his last 17 rounds, he’s only been able to break 70 twice and has finished at 74 or worse five times, including three times this week.
You think maybe he has something on his mind?
It wasn’t that long ago that we looked at Tiger as this immovable force at the top of the golf world. He seemed almost untouchable both on and off the links and was a permanent fixture atop the leaderboards every time he played. He played threw injuries and even the death of his father and still found ways to win.
But this year, his average finish in his last three outings has been 49th. That’s jaw-dropping considering this is the same 34-year-old man who is already third all-time in PGA Tour wins (71) and who has claimed 14 Major Championships throughout his dazzling career. Instead of finding ways to win, he’s just trying to find ways to make the cut.
Should any of this be surprising though? Less than nine months ago he took his 2009 Cadillac Escalade and ran it into a tree outside of his Florida home. Soon thereafter, the highly embarrassing details of his marital affair were made public and now after going through sex therapy, a nasty divorce and the loss of several sponsorships, he’s trying to play golf again.
Some people can’t even perform off the first tee box when they know onlookers are watching. So it’s hardly a shock to see Tiger crash and burn with everything he’s gone through over the past nine months. Of course, this was all his doing and he’s a living, walking example that karma does in fact exist. But again, it’s hardly a surprise to watch a human being go through a life-changing event like he did and not be able to perform on the job.
The real question is whether or not he’ll ever be the same. One would think that he’ll eventually get back to being the Tiger of old, but there are no guarantees in life. Maybe this is the norm for him now.
