Tiger might be due...

[Philippe Binette]

to lose one this week...

it has been a year of almost... of what could have been... Watson, Perry, Duval, Mickelson... great stories that just didn't work out.

Tiger is 14 for 14 when holding the lead after 3 rounds, which is a remarkable feat... but at some point, I wonder, something is going to happen where one would slip away from him, somebody will shoot a remarkable round, or Tiger would just not quite make it.

It might never happen to Tiger, which would be phenomenal... but even more phenomenal would be how he would react after a heart-breaking loss... after all, I don't know if a heart-breaking loss ever happened to him in golf.

Winning without battling, triumph is without glory

[TEPaul]

"to lose one this week...

it has been a year of almost... of what could have been... Watson, Perry, Duval, Mickelson... great stories that just didn't work out.

Tiger is 14 for 14 when holding the lead after 3 rounds, which is a remarkable feat... but at some point, I wonder, something is going to happen where one would slip away from him, somebody will shoot a remarkable round, or Tiger would just not quite make it."


Phillipe:

That is precisely what goes through my mind almost every time he's in this position because it surely does occur to me that no golfer can keep up the remarkable record he has going into the last round with the lead but time after time after time he proves me wrong. But that does not ever stop me from thinking what you did because it just seems virtually impossible that ANYONE (even him) can keep doing this in a game as unpredicatable as golf is with so many good players out there in contention and capable of going low.

But he keeps proving me wrong but perhaps today will be the day.

I'm reminded that last time at Hazeltine in the PGA in 2002 he sure did play well enough in the final round (although not with the Saturday lead) to win it but Rich Beem just hung in there and caught some of his own lightening in a bottle.

Today might be a defining moment in the career of say Harrington or Yang to catch him and pass him or perhaps someone will come out of the draft and hang up a great number early none of the leaders will match.

Yesterday Woods looked to me like he was sort of into protecting the lead. He better not try to do that today. He better go out there and just focus on some number that is not likely to be caught be anyone behind him. Something tells me that number better be at least a 69 and maybe a 68. If he shoots that and someone beats him, well, then, they definitely deserve the Wanamaker Trophy in spades.

I know I'll be watching from beginning to end. Something tells me, one way or the other, when all is said and done Hazeltine is going to be one of the more interesting courses in the remarkable career of Woods.

[Willie_Dow]

Interestingly Tiger's parking space is empty throughout the early rounds.  It must be a great advantage to watch early play on
TV and get a sense of what the day is bringing to the course.

[Tom Birkert]

Rich Beem got very lucky in 2002. On 16 he thought he'd hit it in the water with his approach shot as he fanned it way right. He just caught a piece of the green and made a 45 footer for birdie. That won him the tournament.

Funny old game.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Nice try fellas, but Tiger will prevail again. All he was doing Saturday was building audience for today.

[Andy Hodson]

Tiger iis due for a let down. But he continues to prove his greatness by not giving in to the odds. I mean, check the record....something like 47 for 50 when leading or tied for the lead after 54. And 8 for 8 when leading after 36 in majors.

Goodness, that's just sick.

[Craig Sweet]

Tiger will shoot a 67 and win by 5 strokes....

[Scott Warren]

Quick question: how do they decide when two players are tied on the same score who will play in what group?

Moe pointedly - why Yang with Tiger today and not Paddy?

[Will MacEwen]

Quick question: how do they decide when two players are tied on the same score who will play in what group?

Moe pointedly - why Yang with Tiger today and not Paddy?

First in last out.

At some point Tiger has to lose a major that he leads after 54, and at some point he has to win one that he trailed after 54.  The fact that 14 (likely 15 after today) have come in boiler plate fashion is remarkable - and also makes it kind of dull.

[Kalen Braley]

I'm calling it right now...its 11:30 MST and Tiger doesn't tee off until another hr.

Tiger is going to get Yanged and will lose by 2. The deal will be closed when Tiger hits his 2nd in the water on 16.

[Peter Ferlicca]

Quick question: how do they decide when two players are tied on the same score who will play in what group?

Moe pointedly - why Yang with Tiger today and not Paddy?

To add more than first in last out.  The first player to post the score inside the clubhouse is the one who will go out after the other players that post that score.  If you remember at Sawgrass this year I think Tiger posted a 6 under well before everyone else finished.  Everyone coming in had a couple of bogeys and it made Tiger in the final pairing though there were multiple people at 6 under.  Though that was one instance were he faltered big time on Sunday and ending up losing.

[Kalen Braley]

I'm calling it right now...its 11:30 MST and Tiger doesn't tee off until another hr.

Tiger is going to get Yanged and will lose by 2. The deal will be closed when Tiger hits his 2nd in the water on 16.

Not to tune my own horn but, well you know....   

[Bart Bradley]

I'm calling it right now...its 11:30 MST and Tiger doesn't tee off until another hr.

Tiger is going to get Yanged and will lose by 2. The deal will be closed when Tiger hits his 2nd in the water on 16.

Not to tune my own horn but, well you know....   

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND.   

[Phil McDade]

I'm calling it right now...its 11:30 MST and Tiger doesn't tee off until another hr.

Tiger is going to get Yanged and will lose by 2. The deal will be closed when Tiger hits his 2nd in the water on 16.

Not to tune my own horn but, well you know....   

Kalen:

Quite impressive -- if Tiger hadn't rushed his putt on 18, you'd be spot-on!

[Phil Benedict]

Bit of a surprise to me that this streak ended before his other majors streak - never coming from behind in the fourth round to win a majors.

[Tom_Doak]

Philippe / Kalen:

I hope you had some money on that.

Anyone know what odds you could have got on it this morning?  [In the UK, where it's legal, of course.]

[David_Elvins]

Philippe / Kalen:

I hope you had some money on that.

Anyone know what odds you could have got on it this morning?  [In the UK, where it's legal, of course.]

You could get 5/1 to 6/1 on Tiger losing. 

I can't remember what Yang was but have a feeling it was very very good - over 30/1.

[Richard Choi]

I think one thing is clear. Tiger is no longer good enough to win when his putter is cold. He missed about 5 or 6 inside 20 feet and he usually would make at least 2 or 3 of those.

And Tiger played the golf equivalent of prevent defense on Saturday and early today. Yesterday and today he was hitting 3 irons on many tee shots and laying up on par 5's. He deserved to lose just for that.

[Philippe Binette]

I didn't put any money on it...

Jaime Diaz pointed out this week that some of the best just don't know how to win and indirectly, Tiger was facing a deeper field than Nicklaus, but a weaker field at the top...

Nicklaus said to his players at the ryder cup at muirfield village: you guys don't know how to win, especially in big events

Look at the scores for players scores that were par or under starting the round for the championship (players with potentially a chance to win):

Yang: 70
Westwood 70 (starting from 7 behind)
McIlroy 70 (starting from 7 behind)

Glover 74
Kaymer 73
Els 74
Kjelsen 74
Stenson 75
Harrington 78
McDowell 72
Molinari 72
Singh 73
Clark 74
Pavin 75 (can't blame him though)
Fisher 76
Ames 76
Flesch 76
Jones 77
Rollins 77
Quiros 77
Toms 77

If you take Yang out of the equation: it means TW would have stepped on the 1st tee of the final rounds of a major, with a 2 stroke lead, then gone out and shoot 75 and still win by 2

On a par 72 course with 4 par 5 ?

I would definitely prefer to face 156 guys who have a hard time figuring out how to win...
than facing only a field of those 6 names for a major: Trevino, Watson, Ballesteros, Miller, Floyd, Player

[Kalen Braley]

I had a feeling, but not enough guts to actually bet against him!!   

I did think YE Yang would have a lot less "Tiger Baggage" going into this thing and it wouldn't affect him as much.