I am running out of words to describe the last two outings of one Tiger Woods. After missing the cut here in Charlotte at Quail Hollow, Tiger makes the cut at TPC Sawgrass and while clearly out of contention on Sunday, withdraws after seven holes on Sunday. Talking to several different media members that followed Tiger Friday afternoon at Quail Hollow, every one agreed that Tiger quit midway thru that round.  Several photographers laughed about not being able to keep up with Tiger, as he was moving so quickly around the back nine once he knew he wasn’t going to make the cut. Everyone has bad days and there were some rumors floating around about the number of women he had confessed to sleeping with and the amount Elin wanted to walk away. If these were true and he had heard these stories, I cannot fault him for performing as he did with those distractions.

            Tiger then goes to the Players Championship and evidently has a rough practice round on Tuesday, putting five balls in the water (That was more than I lost there last year). Tiger passes this off as he was working on some things and was close to getting things back where they needed to be.  He does not mention any ailments or issues with his health and says he is ready to go.  Tiger makes the cut and is playing relatively early Sunday morning and after seven holes, decides he cannot go any more. After this round, he mentions the neck has been bothering him for a while, but has nothing to due with his crash back in November.  Tiger stated he was going to have a MRI this week and that the MRI revealed inflammation in a facet joint of his neck. Tiger said on his website (www.Tigerwoods.com ) that when facet joints are inflamed, it causes pain in the area along with headaches and difficulty rotating the head.   Tiger’s treatment will include physical therapy, such as soft-tissue massage, rest and anti-inflammatory medicine. The prognosis is for a full recovery, and while his layoff is not expected to be long, rehab time can vary.

            So to recap, Tiger misses a cut and many say he quit during the round, Tiger withdraws after a neck issue that he had not previously disclosed, and this week, Hank Haney, his swing coach, “resigned.” There are also rumors that he and Elin are working on a settlement in which custody will be shared and Elin will walk away with a nice piece of change. Think this is what he envisioned when he returned to golf in April? NO.

Does anyone else see why this man cannot play his best golf currently? I get flustered on the course when something minor comes across my Blackberry that I was not expecting, but nothing to this degree!  Someone who has tried to keep much of his personal life private now has way more out for the public to eye than he ever envisioned. While he did bring this upon himself, I do not think he, nor any of us on the outside, thought things would get to the place where they are now. Every word spoken on or off the course, every photo taken, and every action of his is under intense scrutiny all the time.  The idea that he could escape all of this while he was between the ropes quickly dissolved after Tiger slipped with a couple of words at Augusta and he was criticized by the CBS announcing team for his actions. All of these things along with not playing very good golf have to be tough on anyone. Please do not take this as me making excuses for his actions in any way, but with every thing going on off of the course, it is easy to see why his play on the course is suffering.  I do not think his play on the course will get any better until he resolves some of the issues off the course. Should things drag out over the summer, there is no telling if or when we may see the Tiger Woods we all expect to see on a golf course. Only time, and no one knows how much, will tell.  

FEW OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS

I really hope that the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Grand Opening Tuesday was looked at internally as a soft opening. While the Hall itself has gotten nothing less than stellar reviews, many felt the event itself was lackluster.  Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch were the biggest names of current drivers present and many expressed some issues they encountered while there, such as lines for autographs. I hope that the induction ceremony next Sunday after the Saturday All-Star race is really the GRAND OPENING we were all anticipating.

NBA Playoffs have been lackluster so far. The Orlando Magic are 8-0 and are getting zero attention. Three of the Four series in the Conference Semi-Finals were sweeps and the Western Conference Finals do not begin until Monday. One would not be shocked if after this long layoff, the play is a bit ragged to begin.

I think the NHL playoffs are still going on….

Well, if I am ever on a trip to New Orleans and become ill, the Saints facility may be a better place to go instead of a drug chain….This story seems to be growing rather quickly.

Speaking of illegal substances, Congratulations to Brian Cushing for winning NFL rookie of the year twice in the same year. After allegedly testing positive for a banned substance in September, Cushing was said to have been tested numerous times throughout the season and did not test positive again.  Maybe the NFL should adopt Olympic style testing and the punishments that go along with that testing. Let a player or two get busted and banned for a couple of years and it is doubtful many more in the future would press their luck.