Liguori: It Is Painful To Watch The Player Formerly Known As Tiger Woods
By Ann Liguori
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UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. (CBSNewYork) -- What we're witnessing with the downfall of Tiger Woods' golf game is disturbing on many levels.
It's uncomfortable to watch anyone spiral into a tailspin but when that player is Tiger Woods, who dominated for so many years, who won 14 major championships and whom many considered the greatest golfer of all time, it's even more pitiful.
It's puzzling that a player who once had unflappable mechanics felt a need to change his swing, not once, but four times.
Was it injuries, ego, not wanting to give credit to previous coaches, too much weight training, insecurity? Perhaps all of the above. Students of the game understand the concept of tinkering with one's swing, but multiple changes, so often, after such enormous success? It doesn't make sense.
Why change one's swing when you're the greatest player on the planet?
Once the swing doesn't work and the bad shots grow in number, the mind is affected and the mental game, at least 70 percent of the game, is toast.
And with a player who has influenced the game more than anyone in history, you can't hide. To unravel in front of an international audience under the microscope when he competes, makes it even worse. His confidence looks destroyed.
Tiger is his own man and apparently calls his own shots. If so, he should stick to his guns and revert to his inner self, shed the coaches, the exterior influences and get back to being the player who had the greatest "feel" for the game.
His personal controversies must also weigh on his mind. His children are old enough to know about his past.
I believe that his past behavior off the course only adds to the distractions that have been chipping away at his mental strength on the course. Most champion golfers need a solid foundation, including a family life, that they create for themselves, to help deal with the pressures and challenges of the game. Tiger destroyed that support system, twice.
It was painful to watch Tiger shoot an 80 in the first round and a 76 on Friday afternoon, for a 16-over toal. He was hacking out of the high fescue, advancing the ball only a couple feet in bunkers, not making any putts. He often looked like a weekend hacker.
You don't want to see any professional golfer unravel like that. Rickie Fowler didn't fare much better, finishing at plus-14. In fact, both days became the "Tiger-Rickie" sideshow as viewers may have been wondering who could unravel the most.
But Tiger once ruled the game. He once intimidated most of the competition. Those days are long gone. It does happen to every player, but is this the alternative? We don't expect Tiger to be the winning machine he once was. Nor would we expect that of anyone. But we do expect Tiger to play respectable golf and not be a freak show.
Come on Tiger. Get it together. We're pulling for you.
Follow Ann on Twitter at @AnnLiguori