Fans can reasonably argue that truer words were never spoken when Tiger Woods said 鈥淚 just want to go home鈥 after an abbreviated stint at the British Open. Even with relatively benign conditions greeting Claret Jug hopefuls through the first two rounds of competition, the reigning Masters champion didn鈥檛 just fail to make the weekend; he got nowhere close to the cut line, a seven-over first-18 78 derailing his chances at Royal Portrush. And by the time he met members of the media for his post-mortem, he looked deflated to the point of uttering a sentence that threatened his status as the sport鈥檚 ultimate grinder.
Granted, Woods appeared far from prepared when he arrived in Ireland for the year鈥檚 last major tournament. He had two rounds to his name in the last month, no prep work relating to the challenge of links golf, and absolutely no knowledge of Royal Portrush prior to his practice sessions with the first round already drawing near. All these, plus mediocre work on the range, led him to admit that his game wasn鈥檛 where he wanted it to be. And coupled with the fact that cold weather has become his kryptonite in light of his myriad physical frailties and advancing age, the outcome he carved doesn鈥檛 seem all that shocking in retrospect.
Parenthetically, it didn鈥檛 help Woods that he tweaked his surgically repaired body on the very first hole of his very first round. Nonetheless, the result of his exertions at Royal Portrush reflected his new normal, which compels him to spend considerably less time honing his craft and more time resting, often with his family. And resting is what he will do until the second week of August. Up next on his agenda is The Northern Trust, triggering his participation in the FedEx Playoffs. How he will fare at Liberty National after yet another long layoff remains to be seen. And all the conjecture will continue to pick up from there, what with two more weeks of play awaiting him.
鈥淎nything can happen,鈥 Woods pointed out as he assessed his schedule. And he鈥檚 right. These days, he鈥檚 as concerned with the there and then as the here and now — which is why he鈥檚 consigned to picking and choosing. 鈥淚 want to play here as long as I possibly can. And you have to understand, if I play a lot, I won鈥檛 be out here that long.鈥 In other words, he has learned to accept that, with his significantly reduced exposure, he won鈥檛 always be good enough to contend, let alone win.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
