August 25 — Now that Tiger Woods is officially divorced and ex-wife Elin Nordegren has dished the dirt to People magazine, it’s time for the paper tiger to roar back into contention at this week’s Barclays golf tourney, right?
Certainly, organizers of the Deutsche Bank Championship hope that closure off the course will help Woods play his way into the annual Labor Day weekend golf-off in Boston. Indeed, the still top-ranked player will have the opportunity starting Thursday at The Barclays to begin the defense of his second FedEx Cup title.
Except, not so fast.
How far can he go? With the ink still wet on the Woods-Nordegren divorce papers, and his game a huge question mark and not his primary focus, it’s difficult to imagine the scuffling golf ace advancing very far in the PGA Tour playoffs. Yes, he brought it all on himself (he admitted as much in a pre-Barclays press conference Wednesday), but even Tiger-haters might have to concede that the seemingly humbled Woods is a hollow shell of the man and golfer he once was.
“As far as my game and my practicing, that’s been secondary” to helping his kids adjust to the divorce, a somewhat deflated Woods told reporters at New Jersey’s Ridgewood Country Club.
Eliminate the question marks. The defending FedEx Cup champ is currently ranked 112th on the points list and must sharpen his game just to stave off elimination. Woods has to finish somewhere in the 50th-to-57th range to make it into the top 100 and move onto TPC Boston next week, a feat he conceded was hardly a given.
“I’m trying to get, obviously, my game in order, work on some things, working with [swing doctor] Sean [Foley],” Woods said after shooting an even-par 71 in Wednesday’s rainy pro-am. “And I’m trying to put that together and hopefully play well for the rest of the year.
“As of right now I need to play well to make it to next week,” Woods acknowledged. “So that’s kind of the focus right now.”
The Deutsche Bank swing fest is the second of four stops on the FedEx Cup trail that ends with the Tour Championship in Atlanta in late September.
Pleasantly surprised. While allowing that he had much work to do, Woods said that after practicing twice with Foley recently, he was “pleasantly surprised” with his game. He said he’ll need to control his driver on the tree-lined fairways of the 7,319-yard, par-71 course that A.W. Tillinghast designed in 1929.? One player Woods won’t have to defeat is Jim Furyk. The PGA Tour disqualified Furyk, who’s third in FedEx Cup points, after he missed his pro-am tee time Wednesday morning.
Dew sweepers. Still, having to qualify for the next leg of the FedEx Cup was as rare for Woods as his opening-round tee time. Woods’ game has sunk so low that he will play in the first group with Cameron Beckman and Troy Matteson at 7:10 a.m. EDT Thursday.
“I haven’t been in this position before,” Woods said about having to play his way into next week and his crack-o’-dawn tee time.
Woods opens up. With People magazine touting its upcoming interview with Nordegren, Woods’ divorce was on everyone’s mind in the media tent. The newly single Woods was uncommonly open about his recent divorce, as well as the impact that his self-inflicted personal turmoil has had on his golf game.
He admitted, for example, that he has had problems focusing inside the ropes since returning to the course in April.
“At times it was difficult [to concentrate on golf],” Woods said. “Even as the tournaments are going I’ve been asked questions while we’re playing and that’s always difficult…especially when I’m trying to work on a few things, trying to find shots in order to get around the golf course…[It's difficult] to have to talk about other things.”
No one to blame but himself. Woods added that he was to blame for the divorce and that continuing his golf career played no role in the couple’s separation.
“My actions certainly led us to this decision,” Woods said. “I’ve made a lot of errors in my life and that’s something I’m going to have to live with.
As for coming back to golf, Woods added, “I came back because it’s part of my job. This is my job, this is what I do.”
As a golfer, Woods said the goal for the week could not be clearer.
“It’s very simple,” he said. “Winning takes care of everything. If I win this week, I’ll get into next week.
“Right now, I’m going to have to win in order to have a chance to play all four [FedEx Cup events],” he added. “I’m only guaranteed one, so I need to play well to move forward.”
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
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