93rd PGA Championship May Redirect Tiger Woods’ Off-course Path

Forget that Tiger Woods tied for 37th place last week in his first competitive golf event since May 12. After such a long layoff, it was unreasonable to expect him to contend, let alone win a tournament he’s already conquered seven times.  

Physically speaking, Woods appears healthy…finally. He grinded last week – both off the tee, in the trees, and on the green – and hasn’t shown any signs of physical discomfort since returning. But what is discomforting: Woods’ game remains wildly inconsistent.

The past 20 months have been a time of change for Woods – from his marriage, to his endorsements (or lack thereof), to his renewed Buddhist outlook on life. Following the revelations of such self-destructing behavior, the personal transition was expected.

Woods’ changes, though, have extended onto the golf course. Inside the ropes, he’s practically overhauled the guy who was winning one in every four tournaments he competed in. And this “revamped” guy wearing the same old red Nike shirt is far from a winner.

The Woods today – ranked 30th in world behind the likes of Francesco Molinari, Kim Kyung Tae, Alvaro Quiros and Ernie Els (does he still play?) – has a new swing coach, putter, caddy, and even golf spikes (which looks like he’s dressed to play tennis).

In May 2010, Woods’ swing coach Hank Haney resigned, ending a partnership that produced 32 official PGA Tour victories and six major championships. Since Woods hired his current coach, Sean Foley, his driving has remained incredibly inaccurate (finishing last in the field of 75 last week), and his play around and on the greens hasn’t been crisp. The result: a winless streak of 21 events – the longest drought of his career.

Then there was the 2010 British Open, when Woods looked to resurrect his once superior putting game by dropping his trusty Scotty Cameron (the putter used for 13 major victories) for a Nike putter. The change hasn’t helped. In 2010, his birdie average was 3.78, good for 29th on the PGA Tour. And this year, though minimal rounds played, he currently has a mediocre 3.81 birdie average. Put into perspective: between 2000 and 2009, Woods never had a birdie average lower than 4.00 in one season. And in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009, he led the PGA Tour in that category.

However, the biggest recent news in the seemingly never-ending Tiger Woods saga was his divorce from caddy Steve Williams in early July – his caddy of 13 major triumphs.  To date, Woods still hasn’t decided on a new caddy. Meanwhile, what has Williams done since officially leaving Woods’ side? Just help his new boss, Adam Scott, win last week’s WGC-Bridgestone by four shots – Woods’ first tournament back. Karma anyone?

Despite the lack of success, Woods keeps saying that he feels good and is encouraged by his play. Surely Woods knows the state of his game best, but it’s hard to believe his words until he shows that he can seriously compete in an event for four rounds. Other than a final round run in this year’s Masters, Woods hasn’t seriously been in contention for a notable victory in over a year. His game looks as inconsistent as his life, and every decision he has made since driving his car into a tree in November 2009 has crashed.  

But Woods can get his game back on course with four solid rounds of play in the 93rd PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, which begins today. This year’s final major officially resumes Woods’ pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major championships, and while a Woods victory is unlikely, it’s a chance for him to truly build on something, anything.

He’s “healthy” and his swing is “really close,” so now is the time to prove to not just the millions of golf onlookers wondering if he’ll ever win again, but more importantly to himself. Woods needs to restore his once bulletproof confidence and truly contend on the big stage for an entire weekend. He needs to keep the ball in play, make the tough putts he used to nail blindfolded, and just grind his way onto the leaderboard.

A successful Woods performance this week will be measured by consistency – something he currently lacks in all aspects of his life. For him, there’s no better chance to do it than on a major stage. 

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