Tiger Woods Watch -- The Open -- July 14, 2022

Analysts in shock: "I can't believe it." "After all the preparation." "What would you be thinking right now?" "Re-group."

First hole: Tiger Woods puts ball into the water. No one has done that yet and I doubt anyone else will today, or maybe the entire tournament. Double.

Second hole: unremarkable.

Third hole: 

Fourth hole: + 4 after four.

Update: since the fourth hole for Tiger Woods, USA and The Open are losing their audience. The Open is streaming on USA. Since the fourth hole for Tiger Woods, there has been no video and no mention -- repeat, no video and no mention -- of Tiger Woods. Did he withdraw?

Wow, just after I mentioned it, they finally go to Tiger Woods on the seventh tee. He put it into a bunker off the tee shot. He remains +4 after the sixth.

Seventh hole: double bogey. Commentators not mentioning that Woods is leaning on his club while waiting to put. Many golfers do that now and then / often but this is now becoming a meme for Woods. 

Two double bogeys in first seven holes. Now the par 3 eighth. 

From a long video shot, Tiger has a very noticeable "quirk" in his stride.

Ninth hole: his first birdie. Front nine: 41.

NBC's nightmare:

• The Open turns into just another European tournament
• Tiger Woods doesn't make the cut
• in contention at the end of the third round: two Koreans
• Rory McIlroy might be the only bright spot 

Tenth hole: another bogey. +5 after ten holes. At this rate, won't make the cut.  

Eleventh hole: misses an easy birdie; pars.

Commentator actually suggests that by mid-morning tomorrow, Friday, the second day of the tournament, it may be the last time we see Tiger Woods at The Open. In other words: doesn't make the cut. 

Twelfth hole: finally, the commentators mentioned the "strangeness" of Tiger's gait. It appears it is his right leg that incurred the worse damage. Let's see if we can confirm. Google. From golfdigest right after the accident:

Tiger Woods was recovering from major surgery on his right leg Tuesday evening at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after being involved earlier in the day in a “high-speed” single-car accident outside Los Angeles.

Woods suffered “comminuted open fractures” to both the upper and lower portions of his tibia and fibula in his right leg, as well as damage to the ankle bones and trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg, according to an update released via his social-media account on Tuesday night. 

Thirteenth hole: another bogey. Plus six for the day. 

Fourteenth: birdie.

Fifteenth: par.

Sixteenth; another bogey.

The cut right now is likely to be even or at best 1+.

After the sixteenth, +6. Tied at 146 out of a field of 156, he will miss the cut and have plenty of time to enjoy meeting and greeting at great Scottish restaurants.

Seventeenth: par.

Eighteenth: par. Will start the second round, tied at 146, 6+.

Second Round, Friday

Eleventh hole: par, dropped a shot earlier; now +7 for the tournament. Will miss the cut. 

Sixteenth hole: holy mackerel. Two bunkers. The second bunker is one of those deep bunkers which has be incredibly uncomfortable for him to get in and out. Even thee commentators are lamenting how "difficult / sad" it is to watch Tiger at this point. Commentators are starting to mention things they saw with regard to Tiger before play began and during the early holes in the first round but did not mention until now. I've never seen such biased sports reporting. Will double bogey the sixteenth. Now +9.

Still no video or any mention of Mickelson or Bryson. Almost no video or any mention of Gooch who is tied for third place. 

With this kind of NBC bias, and the obvious "collusion" between the PGA and NBC, I'm having new thoughts about the LIV. 

The PGA has a cut line after the first two days. LIV has no cut.

The PGA tournaments are always four days; LIV tournaments are three days. 

NBC's worst nightmare:

• Tiger Woods won't be here this weekend. 
• viewership will plummet without Tiger
• Bryson (LIV) will make the cut; Mickelson (LIV) on the cusp
  
• a LIV player likely to win the tournament.
• another LIV player tied for 5th place.

Woods talks about his limited schedule. 

My hunch: the four majors and that's it until he retire. Four tournaments a year. He's always like the Mideast tournaments. Think of the signing bonus he would get if he jumped to the LIV: flat courses; no cut line; only three-day tournaments; and, bonuses for just showing up. He would be teamed with Mickelson, both in the autumn of their lives.  

Seventeenth: Par.

Eighteen: after the tee shot, walking across the iconic bridge. Swilcan Bridge.