Tiger Woods is 0 for his last nine majors, making the implausible plausible.
“This will be the first major that he has started in four or five years where he isn’t the favorite,” CBS’ David Feherty said.
Tiger’s not the favorite?
“No, at this stage, I would say no,” Feherty said. “It is the very first time I have ever said that. At this stage he is playing better. I wouldn’t be surprised if he won it, but I don’t think he is the favorite.”
When play tees off Thursday at the unpredictable Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., Woods might not be the favorite, but he will be lurking.
“All the guys that are supposed to being playing good are playing good, starting with Tiger,” CBS’ Gary McCord said.
Still, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh all could be considered the favorite over Woods.
“It is hard to tell what is going to happen with him at the minute,” Feherty said of Woods. “He is such an unknown, unmeasurable quantity.”
Where is his confidence?
“He has definitely lost a little confidence,” Feherty said.
McCord countered, “I think his confidence is very high.”
Right now, Feherty said Woods would finish fourth for the Player of the Year.
Woods’ biggest problem in the future may be his past.
“He’s being judged by his own standards from 2000 and 2001, where he was just sublime,” Feherty said.
“This is golf, remember. It is not tennis, where the best player wins most of the time. The best player is not supposed to win most of the time.”
McCord shot back, “He is very much in an up-shift in his game.”
The one thing the two agree on was that Whistling Straits will provide some comedy.
“There was a herd of sheep on that golf course – I think they lost them,” Feherty said.
McCord called the course “bizarre.” He can’t wait to hear the words the current pros use.
“It is going to be close to hilarious seeing all the quotes coming out Kohler about this golf course,” McCord said.
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Thursday
PGA Championship
2 p.m., TNT