By: Tyler Ward
This weekend is one that Tiger Woods wants to forget. He finished with the worst score he has ever had in a professional event. At the Bridgestone Invitational, Woods finished 18 over par, by far the worst of his storied career. In the final round, Woods shot a 77, solidifying a rather stunning week that could no longer have him #1 in the world rankings. In the 80-player field, Woods finished 78th, the worst finish of his career.
Previously, at the Firestone Country Club, Woods had won the event seven times and never placed worse than fifth in eleven events at the Invitational. His 78th place finish is the worst for an event where he has completed all 72 holes - he has missed the cut six times since his career began in 1996. Woods' previous worst finish was 60th at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, his rookie season. However, in 1997, he finished in a tie for 67th at the Memorial, but the event was also shortened to 54 holes.
This is the first non-major in Woods' career that he failed to shoot par or better in any round. He made clear that he was still not the golfer he once was and still needed practice to become the Tiger we all know. "I need to hit the ball better," Woods said. "I need to chip better, I need to putt better and I need to score better.''
His performance could also affect his chances of being elected to the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Beforehand, he had expected to be a part of the team, and why wouldn't he? He's Tiger Woods, but he's defeinitely not playing like it right now. Captain Corey Pavin has stated that he was not just going to give Woods a spot on the team - he would have to earn it like everybody else. And with Woods' horrible outing, he could not make the team at all.
When asked if he wanted to participate in the Ryder Cup, Woods stated, "Not playing like this, definitely not, not playing like this. I mean, I wouldn't help the team if I'm playing like this. No one would help the team if they're shooting 18-over par."
Woods is winless so far in 2010, after encountering many obstacles around Thanksgiving in 2009. But, since everyone knows, I don't really have to mention what happened with his issues at the point in time.
In May, Woods' swing coach, Hank Haney, announced that he would step aside and no longer serve under Woods. Haney had spent the previous six years as Woods' swing coach and along the way, Woods won 31 events. Since his departure, Woods has won zero events.
Hunter Mahan won the Bridgestone Invitational, finishing 12 under par and beating out Ryan Palmer by two strokes. Bo Van Pelt and Retief Goosen finished the tournament 9 under par and placed in a tie for third. Sean O'Hair rounded out the top five and was four strokes behind Mahan. It was Mahan's third career victory, with two of them being earlier this year.
Although Woods had a poor performance, he still remains atop the list of World Golf Rankings. Phil Mickelson, who is second on the list, finished 46th in the event, but it wasn't good enough to be number one for the first time in his career. Mickelson would have had to finish fourth or better in the event to top Woods in the rankings.
He will have a chance to overtake Woods at the PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday. Tiger Woods placed second in the event last year, losing to Y.E. Yang by three strokes.
