The Open is now closed. Tiger will win.
I watched a good part of his round on Friday, and it was clinical and efficient. We all have witnessed Tiger paste together some very good golf while in the midst of swing changes, or a slump, or a nasty divorce, or whatever. Then, we’ve expressed surprise when the following round or tournament reveals some weakness, usually related to poor driving. Fiday’s round was no such animal. He’s back in a form that looks so solid that I feel just a bit sorry for the rest of the field, to the extent that one can pity anyone who plays golf for a living.
Tiger’s round of even par, during the afternoon wave in which a firm and fast course became hard and even faster, was an exhibition in clinical efficiency. More telling, though, was the way Tiger reacted to bad breaks. I almost said bad shots, but he didn’t hit any that I observed. Tiger did not get frustrated. He did not pout. He did not whine. In fact, he seemed to show little emotion at all, even in his post round press conference wherein he described his round as if it were a particularly tasty cut of veal. He scared me and of course I’m not playing. I can’t imagine what his competitors think of this automaton version of Tiger Woods.
The only question now is whether anyone will threaten tiger over the next 36 holes. I hope so, if only to give me a reason to be interested on Sunday. But I fear for the mental health of those not Tiger. Friday’s round featured guys tumbling down the leader board as if they had been bodily tossed from the roof of Olympic’s clubhouse. At their post-round press conferences some appeared as if they’d been lobotomized then asked to conjugate verbs in Portuguese.
Steve Stricker had the round of the day with a 68, although I did not see him hit a single shot, so I suspect he may have spent the morning in bed, then simply handed in a card with an implausible number and trusted that no one would check. I like Stricker, but I don’t see him as a contender come Sunday. Likewise, I’m fond of David Toms and Jim Furyk, both of whom are currently tied with Tiger, but I don’t get any sense that either will win.
The guy I do think might have a chance is Jason Duffner. He’s won twice this year and has contended at the two most recent Majors. He’s at +3, so he has some ground to make up, but if there’s a guy on Tour who seems less subject to the emotional toll meted out by US Open Golf, I haven’t seen him. I like Duffner because he seems completely imperturbable. He always appears to be strolling along the fairway having just awakened from an exceptionally restful nap. He seems to wander around as if he’s daydreaming about Krispy Kremes, or Ski Ball—I don’t know, something other than golf. That’s why I think he may be the one guy who won’t fear Tiger on the weekend. I’m not sure he even knows who Tiger is.
The knock on Duffner is that he has a sometimes balky putter. He’s even said he doesn’t like putting, which for a pro golfer is much like a skier saying, “I’d love the sport were it not for all that snow.” But I like him anyway. He’s a great ball striker and his flat line personality is perfect for the Open, especially with Tiger looking as if he would cheerfully run you over in the parking lot with his courtesy car.
Stay tuned.
Posted in Tiger Woods, Uncategorized
