Could Tiger be starting to get distracted?
Unlike many of the commentors on this post-Master’s post, I rather enjoyed this year’s event. The folks at Augusta perhaps made the course a bit too hard this year (though I think the weather was a big part of the high scores). And they had the good sense to make the course a bit easier on the final day so that a bunch of folks could (and did) shoot in the 60s coming in on Sunday. And, by my count, as many as six or seven golfers had a real shot at winning with a strong final 9.
I suppose what I found most intriguing was seeing Tiger look like every other pro struggling to capture a major. The story is not so much that Tiger did not win or even that he choked, but rather that his final round was so ordinary.
Tiger made bogey on number 1 when simply a par (coupled with Appleby’s double) might have made his victory seem inevitable. And then, after a birdie on 2, Tiger played the next 10 holes two over. (Though little discussed, Appleby had gained a shot and led Tiger by two strokes as they stood on the 12th tee.)
Of course, Tiger made an amazing eagle on 13, but then he went back to being very ordinary. He missed a birdie putt on 14, hit in the water on 15, missed another birdie putt on 16, and then did not even give himself a real chance at birdie on 17.
Especially with a baby on the way, I cannot help but wonder whether Tiger was a bit distracted coming into his favorite major. That’s the story I will be watching as we gear up for the two opens in June and July.
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