Tiger Woods is performing at PGA Championship expectations. In that he is slipping to the middle of the pack. It didn't start out that way for Woods, but he has collapsed at the PGA Championship after three early birdies.
As of 11:50 AM EDT Woods is +4 over through 11 holes and nine shots back of leader Steve Stricker. Just two hours earlier, Tiger was -3 through five holes and looked ready to reemerge as a contender again.
Ever since the start of the 2010 season, Woods has never put more than a few solid holes together. It was obvious that his early pace today wouldn't hold, although this collapse was sudden even by his recent standards.
It all started when Woods double-bogeyed his sixth hole and then went on to bogey his seventh, double bogey his ninth and bogey his 10th and 11th holes. In a few hours, he went from potential contender to someone who would be lucky just to get at PGA Championship cut standards at this point.
All that Tiger can do is get back to even par by the end of the first round. If he cannot and if Stricker and the leaders shoot even lower, his chances of making the cut will be uncertain. If he continues to shoot as he has in the second five holes of his round, there's no chance he will make it to the weekend.
The action at the PGA Championship has shown the best and worst of Tiger Woods so far. He started at his best and is now suddenly at his worst, which is a fitting metaphor for his entire career at the moment. It started great before taking a sudden downturn; and now it is hard to see how Woods can get back on top at both the PGA and at the game of golf in general.
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