Here are some astonishing facts about Tiger Woods since he turned pro in 1996; he has 71 PGA Tour wins, including 14 majors. He has finished a season with nine wins (2000) and just one win (1998). He won twice his rookie season, despite turning pro in September.
All of these things are incredible impressive, and might be the foundation of a career bettered by no one, but 2010 will not be one of those seasons we will talk about when praising Tiger.
This week, at the HSBC Champions, Woods opened with a 68. Talk of him getting back to his tireless practicing regiment seemed to be very true, and he was back in the hunt at an event he has finished second in twice. But, much like his season has gone, it was only a glimpse of the old Woods.
Tiger made five bogeys in his second round, and four more in the third round, after a birdie on the opening hole looked like it might help vault him up the leaderboard.
Unless a typhoon blows in on Sunday and wrecks the leaders chances, Tiger will not be a winner on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career, and as sad as that is to think, it really should be the way it is. Tiger has never looked comfortable all season. Not with the press, not with his game and never when he was in the hunt.
He got people chattering at the Masters when he played solid to start, but for every good round Woods pieced together, a nasty, frustrating one was lurking in the shadows.
This season was never going to be about his golf, as weird as that seems. It was always about his personal life, and his marriage, and his kids and the mistresses. We spent way too much of our time analyzing things we knew nothing about, and as glad as we are that this season is soon to be over, I'm sure Tiger couldn't be boarding his private jet quicker when his final competitive putt drops and he can sneak away for a few months.
Nobody will look back at 2010 as the year of Tiger's failed wins, it will be about all his losses both on and off the golf course.
(And yes, we know he has two events left to play, but neither count as PGA Tour wins.)
Matt Bartkowski Oskars Bartulis Nolan Baumgartner Francois Beauchemin
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