Picking Tiger Woods to win the 2015 Masters before the year started. I did that, though, and now it looks as far off as Ian Woosnam snagging his second green jacket.
At the time I made that pick, it all seemed so reasonable. Woods would bounce back from injury like he'd done so many times before. Then Phoenix and Torrey Pines happened.
With Woods, playing the Masters has been in limbo before. It's not a direct comparison, but the precedent has been set. It happened in 2010.
As CBS Sport said, This is what Woods said at the 2010 Masters opening press conference after taking off the first part of 2010 following his sex scandal:
"The reason why I didn't come back and play earlier than that, whether it was Tavistock Cup or Bay Hill, I wasn't ready for it. I wasn't even near physically ready to play at this level, and I needed more time."
That sounds like something he might say here in three weeks as the 2015 Masters begins.
Last week, Woods bailed on the Arnold Palmer Invitational saying, "I hope to be ready for the Masters, and I will continue to work hard preparing for Augusta" on his website.
The Masters is only 24 days away.
That doesn't give Woods a lot of time to "be ready," whatever that means to him. To me, it's the first step in distancing himself from this year's Masters.
That's right, I don't think he's going to tee it up at Augusta.
"But what about 2010?" will be the battle cry of his legions of fans. That was different, though. Public embarrassment of not being able to chip a golf ball wasn't on the table then.
Not being "physically ready" meant his low cut wasn't cutting quite like he'd hoped. It means something altogether different now.
As Jason Sobel noted recently, "his kryptonite is embarrassment."
It's difficult for me to imagine Woods playing this year's Masters as his first tournament back since the Torrey Pines withdrawl. That's why the Bay Hill announcement was so stunning to me.
I thought Woods would go away for a month and reemerge at a track like Bay Hill where he was comfortable. Instead, he'll have to play either the Houston Open or Texas Open if he wants to get those tournament reps in he's always talking about.
I don't think he'll play either. I don't think he'll play Augusta either.
In 2010, Woods finished T4 as Phil Mickelson took home his third green jacket. I don't think there will be any number next to Woods' finish at Augusta in 2015.
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| Will Tiger Woods Play 2015 Masters |
At the time I made that pick, it all seemed so reasonable. Woods would bounce back from injury like he'd done so many times before. Then Phoenix and Torrey Pines happened.
With Woods, playing the Masters has been in limbo before. It's not a direct comparison, but the precedent has been set. It happened in 2010.
As CBS Sport said, This is what Woods said at the 2010 Masters opening press conference after taking off the first part of 2010 following his sex scandal:
"The reason why I didn't come back and play earlier than that, whether it was Tavistock Cup or Bay Hill, I wasn't ready for it. I wasn't even near physically ready to play at this level, and I needed more time."
That sounds like something he might say here in three weeks as the 2015 Masters begins.
Last week, Woods bailed on the Arnold Palmer Invitational saying, "I hope to be ready for the Masters, and I will continue to work hard preparing for Augusta" on his website.
The Masters is only 24 days away.
That doesn't give Woods a lot of time to "be ready," whatever that means to him. To me, it's the first step in distancing himself from this year's Masters.
That's right, I don't think he's going to tee it up at Augusta.
"But what about 2010?" will be the battle cry of his legions of fans. That was different, though. Public embarrassment of not being able to chip a golf ball wasn't on the table then.
Not being "physically ready" meant his low cut wasn't cutting quite like he'd hoped. It means something altogether different now.
As Jason Sobel noted recently, "his kryptonite is embarrassment."
It's difficult for me to imagine Woods playing this year's Masters as his first tournament back since the Torrey Pines withdrawl. That's why the Bay Hill announcement was so stunning to me.
 |
| Will Tiger Woods Play In Skip Augusta |
I thought Woods would go away for a month and reemerge at a track like Bay Hill where he was comfortable. Instead, he'll have to play either the Houston Open or Texas Open if he wants to get those tournament reps in he's always talking about.
I don't think he'll play either. I don't think he'll play Augusta either.
In 2010, Woods finished T4 as Phil Mickelson took home his third green jacket. I don't think there will be any number next to Woods' finish at Augusta in 2015.
