Tiger Woods hobbled along the course at the Bridgestone Invitational last weekend. That is, until back pain forced him to withdraw.
Everyone assumed it marked a major setback in his return from back surgery earlier this year. I knew better. And so did he.
I explained the dilemma he faces in “Tiger Escapes to a ‘Safe Haven,’” December 14, 2009:
There is only one way he can erase his cheating scandal from public consciousness. Woods must win major tournaments. Period. And I am convinced he will return soon to continue doing so.
Did back pain or bad play cause Woods to withdraw?
This explains his withdrawal last weekend. It explains his quick recovery. And it explains him teeing off today in the PGA Championship, the final major of the year.
I wrote that post in the wake of his scandalous fall from grace. And I would have bet my life savings that Woods would have won his 15th major by now. The majors are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf. They include The Masters in April, U.S. Open in June, British Open in July, and PGA Championship in August.
Sure enough, he returned just as I predicted. It was only four months after that infamous domestic incident in November 2009. The surprise is that Woods has yet to win a single, rinky-dink tournament, let alone his 15th Major…
Tiger woods injured again?
He claims chronic injuries make it difficult for him to walk golf courses. This, he implies, makes winning tournaments impossible. The problem is that he won no tournaments in 2010 when he had no injuries. More to the point, though, he won his “last” Major, the 2008 U.S. Open, when a knee injury was causing obvious pain.
Tiger claimed a neck injury forced him to withdraw from Players Championship in May 2010. But he was back on the tour within weeks. So suspicions abounded that he withdrew because he knew he had no chance of winning.
I am not a psychologist. And I have no interest in playing one here. But anyone can see that Woods’s problems are more mental than physical. And the root cause is the public humiliation he suffered in the wake of that notorious domestic spat.
The tabloids hailed his sexual prowess. Never mind that his Charlie Sheen-like penchant for hookers ruined his marriage. The link between his domestic spat and his winless streak is plain to see.
That humiliating scandal sapped him of self-esteem and self-confidence. And, without them, he was like Samson without hair. Indeed, his game no longer had that aura of invincibility. And it no longer instilled self-defeating fear in other players.
So beware of Woods claiming that bad play has forced him to withdraw — again. Foolish pride has him seeking glory in evoking sympathy for playing so hurt, he has to withdraw. But he prefers that to stories about why a healthy Woods can’t even buy a win these days.
Except that he’s gaining a reputation for coming up lame. And this is causing irreparable harm to his professional legacy.
Not to mention the effect this must be having on his girlfriend Lindsey Vonn. After all, she expected him to provide rehabbing and redemptive inspiration. This, as she rehabs to return to Alpine skiing competition.
And don’t get me started on the simmering resentment he must be harboring. This, as he watches the media hail Rory McIlroy the way they used to hail him.
In short, what we are witnessing folks is the proverbial warning:
Pride goeth before the fall….
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Tiger, tiger…
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