Tiger's been here before at Augusta. Seven times, in fact, he's failed to break 70 in the first two rounds of the Masters, and seven times he's watched someone else slip on a green jacket Sunday evening.
Through 36 holes, Woods has struggled with all parts of his game, and the 18th on Friday was a microcosm of that. After a booming drive, Tiger hit possibly the worst 9-iron of his career, finding the bunker right of the pin, some 20 yards off target. Three shots later, he carded a final-hole bogey -- just like the previous day -- and promptly made his way to the range for the night.
Tiger is known as much for his bubbling-just-under-the-surface temper as he is for his amazing knack for the dramatic. A decade ago, Arnold Palmer chastised the then-23-year-old for his sometimes-surly on-course disposition, telling SI.com, "I think that frown all the time, and that slamming the club down doesn't do anything for his game and the game. ... He's got the world in his hands. All he has to do is enjoy it and laugh, and enjoy the ability that he has to fullest extent. He's not convincing anybody of anything when he slams a club down. They know he's good. He's proven that."
We seldom see Woods throw clubs these days, but with the multitude of microphones that document his every move, the occasional f-bomb will make its way onto our televisions. (For the record, I fully endorse Woods' decision to curse; anyone who's played golf understands. Or at least they should. And here's a thought: if people are offended by such language, maybe the networks should take that into consideration.)
Although Tiger appeared generally displeased with performance through two days, he saved the emotional outbursts for after Friday's round. At least to hear GolfDigest.com's Sam Weinman tell it.
After meeting with the media, Woods headed directly to the driving range, where he walked off to the side for a moment to give the loblolly pines his uncensored assessment of the day.I suspect most professional golfers could tell similar stories; Ian Poulter looked as if he was going to fire his caddie on the 12th tee box after he dumped his 9-iron in Rae's Creek. And Sergio Garcia, following a nifty up-and-down to save par on 15 pulled his ball out of the cup and gave his caddie a "What? You're still here?" look.
At that point Woods was the only player on the driving range, and proceeded to use the time to pound away on his driver. His coach Hank Haney was there with him, and on a few occasions, the two could be seen having what might best be described a heated exchange.
After watching every episode of the Haney Project (Golf Channel's most compelling programming ever -- and that includes Adam Barr's Golf Central business reports) -- Hank Haney comes across as a pretty intense dude, I wouldn't be surprised if he and Woods routinely have "heated exchanges." They're both competitive, and very good at what they do. It happens.
Whether they were able to fix what got Tiger in this predicament in the first place is another issue. But to paraphrase Golf Channel's Rich Lerner: If I'm in the field, I'd rather face a perfectly healthy Tiger with a balky putter, than a Tiger with just one good leg who makes everything he looks at.
