Don't Call It a Slump

Alright, without looking, tell me this ... when was the last time Tiger Woods finished out of the top-10? Come on, I know you're thinking it's been some tournament this year. The guy's drive is as consistent as a Fremont Street buffet, so he has to have some nasty finishes, right?

Well, not really. As far as stroke play events go, Tiger hasn't finished out of the top-10 since the British Open in 2007. That is nearly two years. Two years! Now, I'm not oblivious to Tiger's struggles, but I think the barrage of hate on him right now is a little unwarranted.

He had a chance to win the Players Championship when he hit 53.6 percent of his fairways. He was tied for 40th in greens in regulation, a stat he almost always dominates in. Still, in a year when Tiger hasn't exactly had it, he has a Sunday scoring average of 69.6. He has contended at the Arnold Palmer, the Masters, the Quail Hollow Championship and the Players. For most golfers, just being able to say you won one of those four tournaments would be a career defining season. For Tiger, it's a slump.

A few things we need to consider before deciding to bash Tiger for his start to the '09 season. First, the guy is as meticulous as anyone in the world. He has a schedule. He sticks to it. Day by day by day. This knee surgery thing has basically tossed his schedule to the curb. He had no semblance of a real offseason. He never knew when he would be well enough to compete again. He was as confused by the knee as we were about his return. Now, he's still figuring it out.

People have been calling for Hank Haney's head, but can't we agree that Tiger is still battling with the new knee and how it will work over the next, I don't know, 15 years? I mean, he has played in six tournaments, his average finish has been seventh, and he isn't even 100 percent. He might not even be 90 percent.

If he finds his swing, with the short game he has been scrambling with the last few weeks, all this slump talk will hit the curb like it has in the past with Woods. Why are we so quick to call it a slump anyway? if we know anything about Tiger, it's that the moment we doubt him is the moment things turn. Bethpage Black, I'm looking at you.