Fatigue was evident in Tiger Woods’ gait as he walked off the 18th green of the Riviera Country Club for the last time yesterday. He had played 28 holes through fickle Los Angeles weather that saw the sun out early, the wind blowing late, and the rains making an appearance in between, and he was bushed. It told on his game as well; after posting a third-round 65 and going three under par after seven holes of the fourth, he limped to a four-over line for his final 11 holes. What looked like a remarkable Top Five showing for the Genesis Open host turned into a 15th-place finish.
“I got tired,” Woods said. “It was just a long week, and, eventually, I made a few bad swings.” And he was right, although he had an excuse; with Mother Nature wreaking havoc on the tournament schedule from the outset, he found himself affected by the cold more than many in light of his advancing age and injury history. Certainly, it made for trying times; he accounted for six three-putts all told, a mark “I don’t think I’ve ever done.” And yet, significantly, he displayed his remarkable resolve to not just stay around for the weekend, but actually come close to contending.
Given that Woods was, at one point, in danger of missing the cut, he certainly had cause for optimism heading into the WGC-Mexico Championship this weekend. As he noted, “I just have to clean up my mess on the greens and be ready for Thursday.” And though it’s not in his nature to assess his performance relative to others in the field, the fact that even those who wound up vying for the win needed to overcome challenging conditions could not have been lost on him. Both eventual victor J.B. Holmes and provisional leader Justin Thomas likewise dealt with three-putt miscues from seemingly automatic distances.
Woods being Woods, there won’t be any dwelling over the Genesis Open. “I’m happy that it’s over,” he said, and it’s on to the next challenge for him. How well he does at Club de Golf Chapultepec remains to be seen. While the quick turnaround won’t be doing him any favors, however, two things are sure: He’ll be relishing the warmer climate, and he won’t be expecting anything but a win.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
