When Tiger Woods tees off in the first round of the United States Open today, he will not be among the favorites. It isn’t just because a decade has passed since he last triumphed in golf’s most demanding major event. It’s that in the aforesaid decade, he has gone through ups and downs, and both on and off the course. And considering that he’s still in the midst of sharpening his game after a prolonged convalescence from injury, it’s no wonder pundits peg his chances of finishing in the Top Ten to be slimmer than those in the Top 30.
Don’t tell that to Woods, though. Even as he has stayed even-keeled in his 10 tournaments back on tour, he remains focused on claiming victory. Never mind that his progress has been stunted by inconsistencies in his game. Forget that Shinnecock Hills figures to be a stern test for any given hopeful, let alone one whose body is still adjusting to the rigors of competition. As far as he’s concerned, his return to the top is simply a matter of when, not if, and could very well happen this weekend.
Needless to say, others in the field acknowledge his capacity to put together a win regardless of circumstance. In so doing, they hark back to his extraordinary effort in the 2008 US Open, which he won on a broken leg. And for all his current travails, he has shown flashes of his trademark brilliance more than enough times to justify heightened expectations.
All the same, Woods would do well to keep tempering his goals. The sport is invariably fickle, providing him with unforeseen obstacles even at his finest. At this point, the fact that his name is again being bandied about in pre-tournament prognoses is progress in and of itself. And as he makes his steady climb to respectability, the last thing he needs is to be his own worst enemy.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
