This was not quite the “graying is not fun” permission granted by Tiger Woods in mid-July. At that moment, the most famous golfer of a generation admitted that he was “just trying to stick” to the remnants of an extraordinary career. Yet a player who considers public tones of fallibility as such a terrible concept develops a fresh, almost consistent theme.
Woods will not win the 102nd U.S. PGA Championship. There will be no 16th major title that would bring him within two of the magic number set by Jack Nicklaus, at Harding Park. A third round of 72 left Woods two over par on aggregate and chasing a top-20 finish at absolute best.
When asked if he had a definite number of big chances in his career, the 44-year-old Woods was upright. The changing face of golf was the reference point. “There it is,” he said. “There are not as many as when I first started playing. The reality is that golf courses are getting bigger. They get longer. The margin between making the cut and the lead is a lot smaller than ever. Previously, it was sometimes 12 to 15 shoes.
‘Well, we had, what, nine shots here? It’s just different. It’s getting closer and it’s getting harder to win events, but you look at the Leaderboard of most major championships, you see the same guys. May not always be the same winners, but you see that the same handful of guys are there.
They understand how to win big championships, how to win the big events, how to pluck their way along, how difficult it is to win these big events. Against his own analysis – and recurring injury is a factor here – Woods’ Masters glory of last year is an outlier. It seems obvious to define Augusta National and a title defense in November as the main goal that remains for Woods in 2020. Not that, typically, he will look that far in the distance. “Last day and we have another big championship to play,” said Woods of round four at Harding Park. ‘Get ready for the [FexEx Cup] play-offs and we then have the US Open. We have some big events to be played and hopefully I can throw something in the red tomorrow and bring it under par for the tournament. “Woods delivers maybe, but the goal borders on irrelevant.
To his credit, Woods again refused to use the lack of galleries – and energy accumulated – as a diminishing factor. “I just think that big event, you see the same guys,” he added. ‘We see Brooks [Koepka] there again. Men who understand how to play tough golf courses and tough locations tend to be on top of it, whether it’s crowds or not crowds. “
Justin Thomas’ 68 moved him to one under to 54 holes. More interesting than those raw numbers was the contrast between Thomas, now the world No1, and his playing partner from Saturday. Jordan Spieth is a long time friend of Thomas and has been the leading golfer in the world for so long. When Spieth endured a sharp loss of form, Thomas saw his career accelerate. Spieth was again sore from the salt en route to a 76. He will start the final round at seven over par and finally bind among those who made the cut.
“I know he will be fine,” Thomas said. ‘I’m not just saying that because he’s one of my best friends. I mean, I’ve seen him come around when he’s not playing well. We all go through little spurts. It’s just for him, this has just been a tough one. All it sometimes takes is one week and all your confidence comes back. That’s golf.
“It simply came to our notice then. He did not play well. And you know, when he’s 18, he looks like, ‘I’m sorry, man. I just did not give you momentum, ‘and that’s a good friend trying to take the blame.’ At five under par within seven holes, Thomas had played his way into the American PGA controversy. He played the next 11 holes in two over. “I’m pissed, that’s really the best way to describe it,” Thomas said. ‘I let go of a really good round and actually had a great opportunity to put myself in a good position going into tomorrow. I just did not capitalize on the eighth nine. Rory McIlroy’s 71 means he, like Thomas, now plays for little honor.
The Northern Irishman is level for the championship.
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