By GARY SHELTON
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 16, 2001
TULSA, Okla. -- All you really need to know about the U.S. Open is this.
Friday, it flirted with the notion of leaving Tiger Woods behind.
Forget anything else. The only moments that truly mattered in this wacky tournament with the prehistoric heat and the upside-down scoreboard came when his Woodship was left to ponder, like a mere golfer rather than a cultural icon, whether there was still a seat on the train for him.
Would he stay or would he go? It was the darndest thing, but there for a while, Woods simply didn't know if his two-day total of 145, 5 over par, a score every bit as good as that of Tim Petrovic, was going to be good enough to allow him to continue to play.
Finally, after all the anguish and sweating and pleading with the heavens -- all of this mostly by network executives thinking about how many televisions would switch off without Woods in the final two rounds of a major tournament -- the news came in.
Tiger Woods made the cut.
Barely.
The news that Woods is a pretty fair golfer continues to elude the state of Oklahoma. For the second straight day, he slopped it around the Southern Hills course as if he were some kind of club pro from Peoria who came to play two rounds and then pick up some hats for his friends.
It was an amazing sight, the No. 1 player in the world watching and hoping to be among the top 60 (plus ties) so he could take part the final two rounds. Woods has only missed the cut once as a pro, back in '97 at the Bell Canadian Open when he was concerned about the exchange rate, and you wonder if he remembers what it is. Perhaps he thinks the tournaments thin out by the final two rounds because other players have weekend plans.
The only thing more rare than seeing Woods as ordinary is seeing it two days in a row. That has happened. The truth is, except for a nifty bit of scrambling around the greens, he might have a pair of 80s and a ticket home by now.
"I've pulled a couple," Woods said. "I've flared a couple, hit a few more right, and a few long, a few short. I've got the whole gamut covered."
In other words, Woods has discovered the patience of Jobe. Brandt Jobe, that is, another pro who shot 145. Woods was so bad, NBC changed from his picture to Phil Mickelson's in the promo shot.
I know what you're thinking. That Tiger is playing possum. That Tiger has everyone else exactly where he wants them. That he's just trying to add some drama.
Look at the leader bored -- oops, leaderboard. Can you imagine any of these guys beating Woods. Retief Goosen? Mark Brooks? J.L. Lewis? Say what you want about those guys, but they aren't exactly outlined against a blue-gray October sky. There is a distinct lack of immortality there. It's like the XFL gave away golf clubs as a parting gift.
Can Tiger Woods come back? He was seven down at Pebble Beach with seven holes to play and won. He was eight down going into the Johnny Walker Classic and won.
"If I can shoot a 64," Brooks said. "Tiger can shoot a 60."
Maybe. This time, however, it isn't just the numbers in his way. It's the way the course is playing, which is tough, and the way Woods is playing, which isn't. This isn't Tiger lurking. This is Tiger lurching. He made up those other deficits when he was playing like Tiger; not when he was playing like the Detroit Tigers.
Still, Woods thinks he can do it. He looks to Brooks' 64 on Friday as a sign. If you didn't think this tournament was strange, Woods drawing motivation from Brooks should convince you.
If Woods can pull off a victory this time, it would be his most remarkable achievement. There are 53 players in front of him, and he has the look of a superhero wondering where his powers have gone.
Okay, it's easy not to take the tri-leaders seriously. But David Duval and Mickelson are a half-dozen strokes ahead of Woods.
Actually, you could chide both of them for not taking better advantage of Tiger's situation. Duval had back-to-back birdies Friday when he drove one so deep into the woods that Robin Hood lost a merry man. Mickelson had a hole-in-one and seemed to be cruising until he ran into the thing that gives him the most trouble in golf: success.
Say what you will, but this place no longer has the feel of Tiger's den. Most golf courses eventually do. This one still seems like a mystery to Woods. So, too, does the way he's playing. Some golfers are used to the feel of struggling. Not Woods.
How does he get it back? Without borrowing Jose Guillen's bat, that is? Well, he could start off by hitting a few fairways, particularly early. Over two rounds, he is 2-and-8 against the fairways of the first five holes on the course. Over two rounds, he's hit 57 percent of his fairways and 53 percent of his greens. That doesn't invite birdies. That invites vultures.
Then again, maybe Woods will do something that will really shock you. Maybe he'll lose. Maybe he'll cash a smaller check. It could happen.
If you are nice, however, you won't mention that to the children. The network executives, either.