Sport
The new Tiger Woods is pretty good
Tiger Woods watches his shot during the first round of the 2012 U.S. Open golf tournament.,June 14, 2012.PHOTO/Reuters
The low hooking iron that curled up near the flagstick on the fourth hole was reminiscent of something, sure. So, too, was the pair of iron shots that collectively traveled 498 yards on the next hole, setting up a 35-foot putt that slam dunked into the cup for rare back-to-back birdies on the toughest stretch of a very tough Olympic Club course.
We’ve seen it before, so many times that no matter what Tiger Woods does on a golf course, nothing totally surprises. Not the shots that hit fairway after fairway while his playing partners were hacking it out of the rough and into the trees, certainly not the 69 that Woods posted Thursday in the first round of the U.S. Open.
It sure seemed like the Tiger we once knew, with thousands cheering every shot as Woods methodically plotted his way around Olympic. Bubba Watson proclaimed it as much, and since he’s the Masters champion and was playing with Woods, his opinion counts for something.
“That was the old Tiger,” Watson said. “That was beautiful to watch.”
On the second point, we can all agree. Woods was nearly perfect on a brilliant day in San Francisco, where his game pretty much matched the weather. The swing may look a little different than before, but any of the 33,500 or so who strained to watch the featured pairing of Woods, Watson and Phil Mickelson had to feel as if they were watching something beautiful in the making.
But this wasn’t the old Tiger Woods. That guy is long gone, last seen down the coast of California somehow finding a way to win an Open on one leg while his wife and toddler daughter waited with hugs of congratulations.
The new Tiger Woods travels lighter and walks more carefully after four surgeries on his knees. He’s got a tendency to miss short putts, and at times he still struggles to find the psyche that used to intimidate his opponents before they ever stepped to the first tee.
