At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, not only did Tiger lurch toward the back of the pack, he faltered while his chief rival, Phil Mickelson, put together by far the day\u2019s best round, a clutch 64 that was three shots better than anyone else in the field.\u00a0\u00a0 Mickelson was splendid off the tee\u2014using a new Callaway RAZR Fit driver<\/a>\u2014and flawless with his putter, while Woods was erratic from both tees and fairways and feeble on the greens, missing the kinds of putts he famously made throughout his career.<\/p>\n Woods finished the day tied for fifteenth with five other players, after starting the round in sole possession of third, four shots back of leader Charlie Wi.\u00a0 (Mickelson started at nine under, six shots back of Wi, but finished at seventeen under.)<\/p>\n What\u2019s really amazing is how poorly Woods played in relation to the field.\u00a0 Sixty-eight players teed off on Sunday.\u00a0\u00a0 The median score for all players was 71, while fifty-three players shot 73 or better.\u00a0 Tiger was one of seven players shooting 75, and only four players were worse than that\u2014a pair of 76s, one round of 78, and the worst score of the day, Shane Bartsch\u2019s 79.\u00a0\u00a0 So while Tiger was eleven shots worse than Mickelson, he was only four shots better than the day\u2019s worst round.\u00a0 \u00a0It was not an encouraging conclusion to what had been three hopeful opening rounds.<\/p>\n So the questions about Tiger\u2019s future remain: can he win again?\u00a0\u00a0 Can he resurrect the emotional strength that made him nearly invincible?\u00a0\u00a0 Can he putt well enough again to bail him out of trouble when his iron play and tee shots let him down?<\/p>\n Tiger is still the most important golfer in the world.\u00a0\u00a0 His charisma\u2014 the aura of his achievements, the prodigious arc of his success\u2014transcends his current wobbles.\u00a0\u00a0 Icarus-like, Tiger flew very close to the sun, certain nothing could harm him. \u00a0 Those puddles of wax dotting the fairways at Pebble are the residue of Tiger’s failed quest for immortality.<\/p>\n
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