By Joe Schackman
Tiger Woods made a career of his ability to sink the clutch putt, but now an alarming trend has surfaced
Rather, it was the number of golf-related factors that slowed Woods’ attempt to rewrite the record books. In the past few years, he’s struggled with a bum knee, a swing change, a new caddie and, most importantly, his performance on the green. Tiger’s putter has become the biggest obstacle standing between him and Jack Nicklaus’ record.
Early on in his career, Tiger established himself as the greatest front-runner in sports. He had the routine down: spend the first three days of a tournament clawing your way to the top of the leaderboard, and then once there, simply strangle the field with precision until the title is yours. Once he took hold of a lead, a tournament was effectively over. Tiger rarely made a mistake and never missed a critical putt down the stretch. The final round was more of a formality than a competition. ‘Was’ being the important word.
This past Sunday at the AT&T Pro-AM at Pebble Beach, Tiger Woods once again put himself in contention heading into the final day. But, for the second time this year, he failed to capture what would have been his first tournament win against a full field since 2009. Both times, it was the putter that prevented him from taking and holding the lead.
In the continuation of an alarming trend, Woods missed a number of short putts down the stretch, including three from three feet or less. By comparison, he missed just three putts from that distance in all of 2007. In just six hours at Pebble Beach, Tiger had matched an entire season’s worth of putting mistakes.
Tiger has complained about Pebble Beach’s greens before. They’re made of a type of grass strain known as Poa Annua, a surface he has struggled with. And yes, even the type of grass matters when it comes to putting. When the green cut that close, the blades’ growth pattern can completely change the way the ball reacts and rolls.
Woods’ issues with the surface are so significant that he skipped this exact tournament each of the last few seasons. And when he returned, the time away hadn’t helped him. In addition to the missed three-footers, Tiger on Saturday missed a crucial two-foot gimme. He then followed it with short misses the next day on both the 12th and 15th holes. Each of those putts could have changed the complexion of the entire tournament. Instead, they just dropped Woods farther back in the pack.
Some of the last 20 years’ best golf highlights feature Tiger draining pressure-packed putts on the biggest stages. But those years are fading, and despite all of his newfound promise, Tiger can’t truly move forward until he starts making the putts he used too. He might have gotten his private life in order, but his world on the greens is in complete shambles.
This past Sunday at the AT&T Pro-AM at Pebble Beach, Tiger Woods once again put himself in contention heading into the final day. But, for the second time this year, he failed to capture what would have been his first tournament win against a full field since 2009. Both times, it was the putter that prevented him from taking and holding the lead.
In the continuation of an alarming trend, Woods missed a number of short putts down the stretch, including three from three feet or less. By comparison, he missed just three putts from that distance in all of 2007. In just six hours at Pebble Beach, Tiger had matched an entire season’s worth of putting mistakes.
Tiger has complained about Pebble Beach’s greens before. They’re made of a type of grass strain known as Poa Annua, a surface he has struggled with. And yes, even the type of grass matters when it comes to putting. When the green cut that close, the blades’ growth pattern can completely change the way the ball reacts and rolls.
Woods’ issues with the surface are so significant that he skipped this exact tournament each of the last few seasons. And when he returned, the time away hadn’t helped him. In addition to the missed three-footers, Tiger on Saturday missed a crucial two-foot gimme. He then followed it with short misses the next day on both the 12th and 15th holes. Each of those putts could have changed the complexion of the entire tournament. Instead, they just dropped Woods farther back in the pack.
Some of the last 20 years’ best golf highlights feature Tiger draining pressure-packed putts on the biggest stages. But those years are fading, and despite all of his newfound promise, Tiger can’t truly move forward until he starts making the putts he used too. He might have gotten his private life in order, but his world on the greens is in complete shambles.
Joe Schackman is a co-founder and editor of Began in '96
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