Fans have been waiting for weeks, months, and years for the once-dominating man to return to form on the golf course. He has been through a hell that he brought upon himself: the cheating and lies, the crash, the mistreated body, the broken swing, and the divide between himself and his caddies all came at a price. His fame, reputation, and self-confidence all left his soul at the exact same time, a perfect storm that has since seen Tiger Woods fall below No. 200th in the world for first time in over 15 years. .
The fans got the old Tiger Woods on Thursday and Friday this weekend in Gainesville, Virginia for the 2015 Quicken Loans National. He was not crushing every shot like he used to, or sinking putts that seemed only a magnet could pull in. It was the mental approach that made the tournament worthwhile for Woods.
Tiger Woods Gets Past Mental Hurdle at Quicken Loans National
The first round was up and down for Woods, as he had strings of birdies, but also strings of bogeys that would come back to haunt him. He strung together four birdies on the start of the back nine, birdieing No. 10, 11, 12, and 13. He would find a string of bogeys on hole No. 1, 2, and 4, though. All in all, it was a solid round for Woods, who ended up carding three under par, a solid round.
That said, he has played with golf fans’ hearts after a solid round for a few years now. Everyone was happy Woods was in contention again, but it was one round. Nobody was getting overly excited, and with good reason. We have become too jumpy after a solid Woods’ round; it was about time everyone took a deep breath and watched everybody else for a change.
That mindset from the fans might have been the best thing for Woods’ second round the next day. Instead of faltering under the watching eyes the day after a solid round, he played even better than the day before.
Woods had zero bogeys on the front nine, and just one on the back nine. That is a recipe for success, no matter who is holding the club. Scattering six birdies on the rest of the course, Woods found himself sitting pretty after two rounds.
The main reason for Woods’ success in the first two days may have very well been his improved mental approach to the tournament. Especially the first two days, it felt like Woods was playing with a sense of calmness and composure that helped him move up the leaderboard. He was not pressing and trying to be the old-Tiger. It was relieving to see as a golf fan.
That is not saying he is all the way back, though.
The last time we saw Woods in competition was at St. Andrew’s, where he would miss the cut at seven over par after two days. And who could forget the U.S. Open, which was at a difficult course, where Tiger mustered up an 80 and a 76 (16 over par) in the first two days. Obviously, the common denominator here is easy to see: Both dreadful tournaments were Majors.
Woods competed in the Greenbrier Classic in between The Open and the U.S. Open, and did well, coming in at seven under par for the tournament.
The Classic is not a Major, so is there correlation? Maybe, or maybe not. It is improvement, little by little, tournament by tournament. The mental aspect of the sport might be the biggest challenge, and it looks like Woods is finally starting to turn the corner.
We also received evidence that Woods is not coompletely back on Saturday, also dubbed as “Moving Day” because of how the leaderboard can shift. Even then, his mentality did not sour too much, as a double bogey on the Par 3 11th was the only upsetting hole for Woods. He ended up three over par on the day, as a few birdie putts just could not find their way into the hole and help his score out a bit.
As Saturday was not up to par, Woods was all but out of the competition for Sunday. Nonetheless, Woods took another step in the right direction mentally, as he would not let his previous round affect him. He was five under par after the first ten holes, sneaking his way up the leaderboard. Bogeys on No. 11, 12, and 14 would deflate the rise, though. Even after a birdie on 17, Woods would not be a contender for the tournament win.
It’s obvious that the tournament was a success, though. He finished in the top 20 and found a few golf shots that were reminiscent of his prime. He even looked more concentrated on the greens with his putting. He was aware of the breaks, and did not miss anything badly. That is the first sign of mental stability in golf.
With the PGA Championship coming up, it’s unfair to heap huge expectation on Woods’ back because of his good showing at the Quicken Loans Nationals. His mental hurdle this weekend will go a long way, though.
