It's been a while since Tiger has won a major tournament ... by his standards.
By BOB HARIG
Published June 16, 2004
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. - The tournament finished in near darkness, which only made the lights shine brighter on Tiger Woods. The glow was blinding.
He had led the U.S. Open from start to finish. He had become the first player in 30 years to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year. He had won seven of the past 11 major championships and eight overall.
Somewhere, Jack Nicklaus, with his record 18 majors, was looking over his shoulder.
Two years later, the U.S. Open has returned to Long Island and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, a relatively short ride from where Woods made history at Bethpage Black in 2002 but a world removed from his lofty status.
No longer the game's dominant force, Woods has seen seven different players win majors since his Bethpage victory. Ernie Els and Vijay Singh have threatened his status as the No. 1-ranked player in the world. Els, Singh, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia have more victories this year.
And the ensuing drop-off has led to incessant analyzing of Woods' game and life. Has his engagement to Elin Nordegren softened him? Has switching to a different driver robbed him of confidence? Has a breakup with longtime swing coach Butch Harmon led to changes in his swing?
"Tiger is showing that he's human, that he's not invincible," Nicklaus said. "There was nobody there when Tiger came along. ... Now there's competition for him. Opponents have raised their games."
And Woods has seen his game wane.
Statistics show the harsh reality. He is hitting just 58.9 percent of his fairways, which ranks 147th on the PGA Tour. And that has led to a drop in almost every other meaningful statistical category, including greens hit in regulation and scoring. His scoring average of 69.67, while still fourth on the tour, is nearly two strokes higher than it was in 2000, the year he won nine times, including three major championships.
And yet, Woods, 28, has finished in the top four in his past three tournaments, twice missing a playoff by a single stroke.
"If he figures out a way to drive it in the fairway, he'll win the tournament," Harmon said.
Many observers believe the fact that Woods no longer works with Harmon is the biggest reason for the decline in his game. They had been together for 10 years, since the time Woods was 16, through the 2002 British Open, where a third-round 81 derailed Woods' grand slam dreams.
Different theories abound for the breakup, including the notion that Harmon, 60, was getting too big, that he had too many clients. Woods said it was simply a matter of him knowing his swing well enough to fix any problems. When asked about Harmon, Woods says they are friends, but that a phone call will not be forthcoming.
Although Harmon originally maintained that "he has my number," his tone has changed in recent weeks.
"On my watch for 10 years, he did pretty good," Harmon said this week. "So it's someone else's turn to sit in the hot seat."
Harmon suggested Woods look at video from the 2000 season and said he believes Woods is working on too many things.
"Tiger Woods always had a plan when he practiced," Harmon said. "Now when you see him he's always trying something different and that's not the Tiger Woods I'm used to seeing."
Woods said he has no formal swing coach, although he kicks around ideas with his friend, Mark O'Meara. That has led to speculation that Woods has been working with O'Meara's instructor, Hank Haney - something Woods denies.
But in a recent magazine article, another noted instructor, Jim McLean, said he believes Woods has adopted O'Meara's swing pattern, which promotes a right-to-left ball flight, or a "draw." Woods, however, maintains that when playing his best, his natural shot has always been a draw.
"Everyone's opinion of a nice golf swing is different," Woods said Tuesday. "Some of these analysts speak from how either they perceive the golf swing to be or how they used to play. It's different. Some guys shape the ball differently than others, other guys like to hit the ball differently than others. I think that's where you have to step out of the box sometimes, which these guys don't. That's where it's frustrating for me and other players as well.
"They're not out here watching us play every shot, working on the range. They watch one golf shot and they analyze. This is what I think is funny. They take a shot from 2000 and compare a shot that I hit this year. You don't know if I'm hitting a fade, don't know if I'm hitting a draw, don't know if I'm hitting it high or hitting it low. You don't know what kind of lie I have. You try to compare those two swings and it's totally different."
Woods maintains that he is "close" to playing some excellent golf. And the fact that he has a victory and several high finishes this season does not suggest that he has lost his game. But it's not the same dominating Woods fans came to expect.
Last month, at consecutive tournaments, Woods held the 36-hole lead and failed to win, unheard of for him. The winner of 40 PGA Tour titles, Woods had won 18 straight tournaments, including the 2002 U.S. Open, when holding or sharing the 36-hole lead.
Then there are his performances in the most recent major championships. Other than last year's British Open, where he tied for fourth, two strokes back of Ben Curtis, Woods has not been in contention on the back nine of the final round since the 2002 PGA Championship.
He tied for 15th at the 2003 Masters, tied for 20th at the U.S. Open and tied for 39th at last year's PGA, his worst finish in that event. At this year's Masters, he tied for 22nd, 11 shots back of Mickelson, his worst showing there as a pro.
If Woods is concerned, it seems to be only about the questions, not the results.
"I try and just take it in, but the problem is you guys (media) keep asking me about it," Woods said. "Every tournament I go to, you keep asking me the same questions. I know that I haven't played up to my absolute peak, but who does week in and week out? It certainly is not from a lack of effort.
"I know that I'm going to be making some great progress this year. I'm pretty excited about it."
