Tiger Woods knows how to be great.
But it’s beginning to look like Woods’ future as a competitor is learning how to be just pretty good. Maybe his path back to finishing the job of being the greatest golfer who ever lived is tolerating the reality that he’s not the greatest golfer alive.
That title looks like it’s going to be worn quite comfortably by Jordan Spieth for a while, if his 36-hole total of 130 — a record at Augusta National — is any indication. The 21-year-old Texan finished second a year ago at his Masters debut and looks like a lock to go one better in his second visit. He’ll take a five-shot lead into Saturday.
Woods accomplished one mission through the first 36 holes at Augusta National; he played competitive golf with the world watching and didn’t look like he didn’t know how to do it anymore. Given where his game was at just a few months ago, that’s no small feat.
But simply playing on the weekend wasn’t Woods’ stated mission. Tiger resumed competitive play this week at Augusta to win his fifth Masters title.
He was asked before the tournament if — given the way he’s played for the past 18 months of so — would he be satisfied with, you know, not spitting up on his trousers? Did he still define winning as the only measure of success?
Shorts answer: yes.
"I want to win," he said. "The whole idea is to prepare and do that, and I feel like my game is finally ready to go and do that again. As I said earlier in the year, I was caught right between two release patterns, and I had to get rid of that and make sure I had one release pattern in me. It took a while. It took a lot of hard work that went into it. I finally got to the point where I feel I can do it now."
It’s great to aim high and all but and that — almost assuredly — is not going to happen.
In fairness, Woods acknowledged that his will to win and what it will take to win are different now. Woods is competing against his age, his injuries, his efforts to be a proper father and the encroachment of his 40th birthday.
But his biggest competition of all is coming from the likes of Spieth, 25-year-old Rory McIlroy and a swell of young talent coming behind them.
Woods is competing against his echo — a generation of players who grew up watching him, picking apart the best practices of his training, noting his competitive zeal and putting a lifetime of unfettered commitment into meeting the standard he set.
"He was the inspiration for us to go out and try to be the best that we could be," McIlroy, a four-time major winner who needs only a win at the Masters to complete the career grand slam, told reporters before the tournament began. "You get a lot of guys that are my age and they’d say the same thing. He was a hero to us growing up, and that’s why you have so many guys in their early 20s that are so good right now."
At the front of the line is Spieth, who is almost too young to remember Woods at his best. He was just 11 when Woods last won at Augusta and has emerged as a superstar as Woods star has been in decline. Woods as the best golfer who ever lived is an abstract idea to him, but one that still carries some heft.
“The magic he brings to this tournament and every major championship,” Spieth told the Washington Post before the tournament began. “It’s a dream for everybody to be in contention and try and take Tiger down on the back nine of Augusta.”
It’s a dream for another day. Spieth looks like he’s headed for the first of many triumphant walks through the back nine at Augusta. This week at least, he won’t be chasing Woods; Tiger will be chasing him with little hope of catching him.
The reality is that Tiger Woods doesn’t exist anymore. Woods is a fading talent — though still a talent — who needs to find a way to squeeze the best out his game with the resources of time and health available to him. Once the longest hitter the game had ever seen, Woods ranks 51st in driving distance through two rounds, averaging just 271.50 yards off the tee. That’s not everything, doubtless Woods is dialing things back as he strives to keep the ball in play, but it’s clear that one huge advantage he used to be able to count on isn’t there anymore.
Counting Woods out as a championship contender is an insult to everything he’s done in a career that any of the stars coming up behind him are unlikely to match.
But Woods’ role from here on in is as a scarred veteran who can bite when the moons align. It’s hard to imagine him being dominant again. His cast of imitators is too good.
The man himself needs to find a different standard to measure himself.