Time to lower those expectations, people.
Time to stop putting Tiger Woods on your list of favorites to win a major, at least for now.
Woods struggled mightily on Thursday at Shinnecock Hills then it was more of the same on Friday.
Woods dug himself into an eight-over par hole on opening day then tried to fight his way back in the morning winds and misty rain.
He was grinding and his even-par 35 on the back nine, his first, had him in the hunt to stay the weekend.
But the hole that sent him reeling on Thursday, the first, bit him again on Friday. He made double there then bogeyed two and suffered yet another at the sixth. He was 12-over with three to play and it was basically over.
Sure, he finished birdie-birdie once the pressure of playing the weekend was gone. Too little, too late.
“I’m not very happy with the way I played and putted,” Woods said. “I’m 10-over par. You can’t be too happy about 10-over par. You don’t win major championships slapping it around. You just can’t fake it in a major.”
Woods felt his ball-striking was okay, but once again his putter failed to show. “I gave myself enough looks.”
He’ll be back for his tournament, the last go-round for the National.
“I got a week off, and then I’ll play the National and then head over to the British,” Woods said of his schedule.
And with that, he headed back to his super-yacht and prepared to head out to sea.
