Tiger Woods Prepares For PGA Championship
On the back of one of his worst ever performances as a golfer, Tiger Woods will be wondering how he can rediscover his form ahead of the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Woods is still desperately searching for his first victory since a five-month break from golf following a sex scandal.
Woods is still clinging on to his number 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, but only because the ranking is based on performance over two years and he enjoyed six victories in 2009.
He will be entering his 92nd PGA Championship coming off the back of a dire performance in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
He struggled with every aspect of his game as he finished in a tie for 78th place in the 80-player field, his worst-ever finish in a 72-hole tournament. His 18-over-par 298 finish was the highest score of his career, and he was unable to break par in any of the four rounds for only the fourth time as a professional.
The performance was even more woeful given Woods’ record there. He had won the tournament seven times in the previous 11 years, and had finished no lower than fourth over that span.
Phil Mickelson, who could replace Woods at the top of the world rankings this week, said, “Well, it happens to the best of them. We all have tough days. We’re not used to seeing it happen to him, but it does happen to the best players.”
Many believe that Whistling Straits, a long and relentless course on the shore of Lake Michigan, is not the place to recover from such a bad performance. Woods has been seen in consultation with swing coach Sean Foley, who has been described as a “genius” at what he does.
However, he will have to work very quickly to help Woods rediscover his form.
Woods has had a couple of minor slumps in his career, most notably when he made major changes to his swing in 1998 under Butch Harmon and again in 2004 under Hank Haney. But even then he won a tournament in each of those years and finished fourth on the money list.
This slump, however, is far more worrying for Woods, who looks very out of sorts. Hunter Mahan, who finished 30 strokes ahead of the world number one at Bridgestone, said, “I think last week he looked lost, just looking at it from my perspective. He just didn’t look like he knew quite what to do, and for any player that’s an uncomfortable feeling to have. You’re just trying to find something. I was there myself kind of the middle part of the year. I was kind of like, ‘God, what do I do now?’”
For the first time since he won the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes, Woods is not the betting favourite at a major championship.
Woods said, “The whole idea is to go out there and play. I’m trying to win a golf tournament just like everybody else here. And I’m going to give it everything I have.”
