Tiger tries to rebuild his game with practice

Associated Press

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.

The 18th hole on the TPC Sawgrass is not nearly as daunting without wind, which was the case on a muggy Tuesday morning when Tiger Woods set up over the tee shot with a 3-wood in hand.

The ball never had a chance to stay dry.

It started down the left side with a severe hook and splashed down some 20 yards to the left of the water’s edge. With a mild curse under his breath, Woods asked his caddie for another ball.

It was his fifth ball in the water during nine holes of practice at The Players Championship.

He lost two in the water on the front nine the day before.

There have been flashes of brilliance, as always, but far more shots that hardly resemble golf from the world’s best player.

“It’s just a matter of ... getting my mind where it needs to be,” Woods said. “And certainly, I’ve made a lot of adjustments in my life, and I’ve gone through a lot — a lot. Just trying to make sure I get everything organized so I can play.”

Woods is capable of making some form of history at just about any golf tournament, and The Players Championship is no exception. Only now, the question is whether Woods will miss the cut in consecutive tournaments for the first time in his career.

He didn’t just miss the cut last week at Quail Hollow, he missed it by a mile. With a 79 in the second round — the second-highest score of his career — Woods posted his highest 36-hole total (153) in 14 years on the PGA Tour.

Two days of practice this week did little to change the notion that his game — not to mention his head — is not in a good spot.

After three days of rampant speculation that he would ditch his swing coach, Woods said that nothing has changed with Hank Haney, who was not at Sawgrass. Haney rarely goes to tournaments outside the majors.