Tiger Woods, Like the Rest of Us Now.

Tiger Woods had four birdies and three double bogeys in his round of +7, 77 today at the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands, in Duluth, Georgia. Hell, I did something similar last weekend. In my round of 91 at my local muni I carded three birdies and the same three double bogeys. I threw in a triple for fun, but that's to be expected from a weekend hacker with fourteen fewer majors than Woods. I'd safely figure that Woods' handicap at my course would be +10. That prevents me from asking him to join our 4-man scramble squad because his vanity handicap seriously screws up the numbers and our chances to win golf bags with beer logos filled with Top Flite XLs. Next year's lookin' good Tiger if your index continues it's steady climb.

We're not typically Woods lovers or bashers here at Average Golfer. We strive to be objective and attempt to limit the conversation to golf and golf exploits and foibles. Last week Woods pronounced himself to be healthy and strong, though ring rust seemed inevitable. A prep week was in order and Woods finished mid-pack. Today, three birdies in his first five holes had folks thinking of 2001. Doubles on 15 and 18 had them thinking Nationwide Tour. 10 over in his last 13 left tied him with John Daly in a twisted sort of irony. 11 of the 20 club pros in the field beat Woods, as well they should have.

I have a better chance at making the cut this week than Eldrick. If I were him I'd shelve it after Saturday and start prepping for next year's Masters. He'll be watching the "playoffs" from home regardless. Just proves that it's tough to play golf at any level without a clear head and lots of reps. Nice to see the game doesn't discriminate when it doles out it's inevitable cruelty.






Swing hard, look up,