Tiger Woods had a nice weekend.
There you have just about all you need to know. It may mean something, it may mean nothing. It’s golf and life on the PGA Tour is a week-to-week existence. Win one week, miss the cut the next.
I understand that Woods moves the needle for TV. He’s a bigger deal than Xander Schauffele, no doubt. (Though Schauffele beat Woods by three shots this weekend.) So I don’t expect the coverage to be anything resembling equal.
But this weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship may have taken the Woods hysteria to a new level. (By the way, how pretentious can you be by having part of the title of your event in all capitals?)
Woods made the cut only because two of the best golfers in the world made bogeys on the 36th hole and moved the cut line by a stroke. To his credit, Woods made the most of it, shooting 65 on Saturday. Every ESPN highlight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday led with Woods, THEN switched to who was leading the tournament. Woods shot 65? Webb Simpson shot 63 the day before. Woods wasn’t even the only golfer to shoot 65 on Saturday. Breathless is the only way to describe it.
Here’s what bugs me the most: It seems as though everyone is in a race to be the first to see some sign that Woods is going to resemble the golfer he once was. Look at that launch angle! And if they need validation, they’ll ask his playing partner. What is that guy supposed to say, “I think he’ll be lucky to make it on the Web.com Tour?”
If Woods wins again, good for him. Phil Mickleson won six weeks ago and all he is known for now is wearing ugly long sleeve shirts in 85 degree weather.
People are going to watch if Woods finishes fifth or 50th. But he often isn’t the real story, despite what the highlights suggest. That’s unfair to the rest of the PGA Tour. And it’s unfair to Tiger Woods.