AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods offered perhaps the best evidence yet Friday at Augusta National that he will never break Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major championships.
He delivered it one sailor-cursing, club-throwing, iron-booting reaction to errant shots at a time. Tiger was a disaster at the Masters, not so much because of his round of 75 that left him tied for 40th at three over for the tournament.
Despite a miserable day, Woods is only eight shots behind co-leaders Jason Dufner and Fred Couples, a makeable comeback with 36 holes to play. He made up seven shots on Sunday alone a year ago.
It's still at least possible he slips on a green jacket this year.
Tiger was mentally weak Friday, though. He was too focused on reacting to his poor shots, delivering over-the-top scenes of anger and moping around the back nine like he was being persecuted.
"I get into streaks where (my swing is) really good and then I lose it for a little bit," he said. "That's obviously very frustrating."
Allowing it to boil over wasn't a good look. And more importantly, it speaks to the kind of continued inconsistency in both play and demeanor that generally comes back to haunt a golfer in major championships, where there is so much talent to compete against.
Woods has 14 major championships, although none since the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in June of 2008. His stated goal is to break Jack Nicklaus' mark of 18 majors. He isn't going to do it this way.
Tiger isn't the physically dominant player he once was. He's 36. He can't drive it like the younger guys. He isn't as steady of a putter as he used to be. His rebuilt swing fails him regularly. He doesn't intimidate like he once did. And the competition, especially a wave of tough young players that he inspired, is better than at any time in his career.
He's acknowledged all of these things.
He must rely on guile, experience and wisdom. He has to maximize every opportunity and that doesn't just mean playing from the lead, but surviving stretches of poor play. And he knows it.
What's his advantage in Augusta?
"I think it's understanding how to play this golf course," he said earlier this week.
Tiger has always had a temper. He's always been somewhat of a drama queen on the course. It makes for great theater, whether he is smashing clubs or pumping fists.
He also used to possess the kind of focus and will that left him forever in contention. He was able to find balance. That wasn't the case Friday. This was sloppy. This was unnecessary. This was allowing anger to compound one mistake into another.
Consider the par three 16th, where he hit a tee shot in the bunker on the right side of the green. It was not his chosen location. It also wasn't a complete disaster. Tiger has saved pars like this hundreds of times.
Instead he tossed his club into the air before the ball even landed. Then after the club landed, he turned and booted it toward the back of the tee box.
"Well, it's a simple 9-iron, it's not that hard," he said after by way of explanation. "It's a very easy golf shot."
He then hacked away from the bunker, hitting it too hard and too far. It rolled briskly all the way across the green, never threatening the pin and nearly wound up in the pond for what would've been a crushing penalty.
This isn't about his score. This isn't about his position on the leaderboard. This isn't about what he can possibly do this weekend.
It's about a veteran player who allowed his temperament to cost him strokes in a tournament where every single one counts. It was entertaining to watch; foolish to do.
He still has five to go to break Nicklaus' record, and the preschooler routine isn't going to get him there.
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