[We're having guests pop in now and then to bring some added voices to Devil Ball. Today we welcome in Ryan Ballengee, proprietor of Waggle Room, to talk a little bit about Tiger Woods' swing. Enjoy.]
After coming within inches of the Sunday lead at the Masters, Tiger Woods faded to a tie for sixth place. Following the tournament, Woods told reporters that he "almost won the tournament with a Band-Aid swing." Two majors later -- including an Open Championship that saw him miss the cut in a major for the second time as a pro -- perhaps the wound beneath Woods' Band-Aid swing has not healed.
Tiger admitted at Jack Nicklaus' Memorial tournament that he was still unsure of his surgically repaired double stress fracture.
"Worst thing you can do is stretch out the ligament right away. The surgery would have been all for naught. That’s one of the reasons it takes most athletes a lot longer to come back," Woods told reporters. "Just a little longer before I’m able to get all of that back."
Woods is yet to win a major since his comeback, which is hardly surprising considering the severity of his injury. He has won three times -- all in his last start before majors this season. Woods barely defeated Sean O'Hair at Bay Hill, thanks, in large part, to O'Hair's nerves. He was out of this world in his win at Memorial that was just good enough. As tournament host, the field folded around him, but Woods made tough work of an easy par 5 birdie to win the AT&T National. He held off Hunter Mahan, who surged up the leaderboard to tie him nearly two hours before Woods could complete his round.
Unable to rally at Augusta and at the US Open, questions surrounded whether his knee was completely healed and if he had mastered his new swing on his new knee. The answer is that he clearly has not. And the Band-Aid has fallen off of the wound. Given how much he cursed and steamed at Turnberry, that wound is still fresh and it hurts badly.
Though it seems almost inevitable that Woods will someday reach nineteen major wins, he needs something to get him on his way to his fifteenth first.
Is it a change in his swing coach, Hank Haney? Former Ryder Cup Captain Mark James told the BBC, "If I was Tiger, I'd be having serious words with my coach." Rumors have swirled since the beginning of the Woods-Haney relationship about Woods ability to master the Haney move and their chemistry together. Still, Woods has performed very well while working with Haney.
Could the answer be as simple as Tiger needing to play more competitive golf on his new knee? Sure, he may be in a position to practice more like normal, but he has played in just nine stroke play events since his return. Three wins in nine starts is great, until how he won them becomes clearer. It was part Woods' play, yes, but also part Woods' presence. In majors, the weight of the moment is much more unnerving that any one player.
In the end, perhaps it is just that the public needs to be patient. After all, Woods going MIA on the weekend at Turnberry gave the open door for golf to experience a thrill it may never feel again. And it gives Woods plenty of motivation for a fierce charge at Hazeltine in the PGA Championship next month.
Thanks again to Ryan, and be sure to check out Waggle Room!
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