Saturday is usually moving day at The U.S. Open. This time around, Tiger Woods was nowhere to be found. After bogeying five times in ten holes, Woods was out of contention, his putts were lipping out and the telecast pretty much rendered him an afterthought. After birdieing his first hole, Woods appeared to making a run at the lead, but he then bogeyed three of his next five holes. When it rains, it pours and in the end, his third round 76 was the worst round of his U.S. Open career.
Woods is having the best year of his career since his recovery from knee surgery and uh… sex addiction, but if he doesn't wake up from his major slumber this year, his hopes of breaking Jack's majors record will become a pipe dream.
The pressure to catch Jack is rising with every major Sunday that ends with Woods on the outside looking in at the trophy or Green Jacket presentation as he encroaches on 40.
It’s now been five years since Woods won his 14th major at the 2008 U.S. Open on a gimpy knee and his window to reach 19 majors appears to be closing. Woods has a tendency to get down on himself and hang his head when things aren’t going well. The San Antonio Spurs should serve as a source of inspiration for motivation for Woods moving forward.
Woods shares a birthday with LeBron James, but he’s blowing out as many birthday candles as Tim Duncan. You knw TImmy. Duncan is San Antonio’s 37-year-old power forward in the midst of a resurgence after knee injuries in his mid-30s downgraded him from a present tense to past-tense superstar. However, a reinvention of Duncan’s game, much like Woods’ new swing, has them both back in the championship conversation within their respective sports. Woods has to do more tinkering with his putting before the old guy with bad vision jokes start up. Whoops! Too late.
Duncan is now just two wins away from hoisting his fifth NBA championship after he was cast off as an oldhead living off his reputation in a young man’s game.
Woods should consider himself more fortunate than Duncan. Not only is Woods’ five year hiatus between majors a year shorter than the six years between Duncan’s, but Woods has no heir apparent on his heels. Rory McIlroy could be the heir apparent to Woods as the face of the PGA Tour, but he’s no King James. He’s more like the Duke McIlroy. There aren’t many contemporary athletes someone like Woods can draw inspiration from, but Duncan’s Spurs should be one of them.
