Tiger Woods: Going The Wrong Direction On Moving Day

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All of us who watch Golf, know that Saturday is moving day. That is the day when the field has been pared down to those making the cut, and traditionally is the day when you attempt to put yourself in a position to win. On Saturday at the BMW Championship in Carmel Indiana, Tiger Woods had his highest score of the tournament on Moving Day.

Sep 8, 2012; Carmel, IN, USA; Tiger Woods hits his second shot out of the fairway on the 2nd hole during the third round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
Sep 8, 2012; Carmel, IN, USA; Tiger Woods hits his second shot out of the fairway on the 2nd hole during the third round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE /

In fact, that has been Tiger’s M.O. for most of the year. During the first two rounds at Crooked Stick, he only had two bogeys, with both coming on Thursday. He shot, for him, a tournament low 65, while making nine birdies. On Friday, no bogeys and a 5 under par 67, for a two day total of 12 under par, 132. Then came Saturday, Moving Day.

With 4 bogeys on the front nine Saturday morning, he played himself out of a real shot at Rory McIlroy, and a win. He spent the back nine, and all day Sunday just trying to make up that ground. With no bogeys on the back, and only one on Sunday, he played well enough to win, but he was too far back.

At the PGA Championship on Kiawah Island, Woods had gotten to 4 under par by Friday night, and in contention. Moving day produced 4 bogeys on the front nine and led to a 2 over 74 and no chance to catch the leaders during Sunday’s round, especially Rory McIlroy, who was on a roll. The British Open and US Open both had the same story.

It is like a repeating pattern.  The Olympic Club in San Francisco, front nine Saturday morning did it to him again. The first nine holes on Saturday destroyed any chances to get in the mix by Sunday afternoon. Moving the wrong direction on Saturday is a pattern Tiger Woods is going to have to change if he is to get that 15th Major title. It’s not as easy as it was a decade ago, there are too many good young players on tour now who are just not intimidated by Tiger and his huge galleries.

As he proved at Bay Hill, Memorial, and Congressional, Woods was able to cruise to victories against some pretty weak fields that did not feature all of the good European talent that is out there now. When he faces  loaded competition, he seems to have these Saturday problems, and fades down the stretch.

I have said before in previous blogs, we will never see the Old Tiger Woods again. That ship sailed and will never come to port again. Having said that, he is still  among the better players we have here in the US, and we need for him to play well, and be in contention. After all, the golfing world, and in particular, the networks need Tiger to be in contention every week, as he moves the needle on ratings. But to make the package complete, he needs to quit going the wrong direction on Moving Day, and start being a Sunday problem for Rory McIlroy.