Tiger Woods: Does He Need a Completely New Game or Just More Practice?

Depending on whom you listen to, Tiger Woods either needs to go back to Butch Harmon or Hank Haney or just needs more practice.

Aaron Oblehoser said on the Golf Channel (h/t Golf Digest's Jone Strege) after the first round of the Waste Management Open that Woods has the yips.

"Tiger Woods can't find his fundamentals," Brandel Chamblee said, adding that in 2005 and 2006, Woods was probably the greatest chipper of all time. But that was certainly not the case this week, as even Woods admitted after missing the cut.

"We all have days like this. Unfortunately, you know, mine was in a public forum, in a public setting," Woods said. "We take the good with the bad, and the thing is, even on bad days like this, just keep fighting, because, you know, on the good days you've got to keep fighting as well."

Woods believes that it is just a matter of practice to get his chipping motion to mimic his longer shots. However, not all of his longer shots were magnificent efforts, either, as he knows. There were some memorable holes, like the eagle on the 13th hole in Round 1. His second shot was so good that his putt was a mere formality. That's the Tiger Woods the world knows and loves. But his chipping this week was in a class by itself—and not a good class.

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"I was much deeper overall swingwise. My attacking was much deeper with Sean. Now I'm very shallow. So that in turn affects the chipping. I'm not bottoming out in the same spot. It's a different spot," he explained prior to catching his jet home.

The only options Woods has is to practice and get better, to keep missing cuts until he's no longer exempt or to hang up his golf shoes and retire. So far, the last thing Tiger Woods has been called is a quitter. It's much too early to expect retirement from someone who spent more time than anyone as the top-ranked golfer in the world, a golfer who won five tournaments two years ago.

"When you set a plan and you have your team, you stick with your plan, you stick with your guys. I think Tiger's going to do that," Notah Begay said to Chamblee and Oberholser. "If we're sitting in the same place in two or three months, and he's still shooting 82, then I'll be there on the bandwagon with the rest of you guys."

While critics line up ready to criticize everything from his grip to his stance to his swing to his coaches, Woods is trying to create a golf swing that will get him to the winner's circle again. While that work occurs, the bigger question looms: If Woods is not able to overcome these problems, does he have a chance to get to 15 majors, never mind 19?

Announcers from CBS Sports answered exactly those questions in a preseason news conference with members of the golf media.

Ian Baker-Finch, winner of the British Open, said that Woods looks a lot stronger now, and he likes Chris Como for Woods.

"Not many athletes starting to break down at the age 35 to 40, like Tiger has, can really look forward with great optimism into their 40s," Baker-Finch said, but he believes Woods can. "I believe he will win more majors. Whether or not he can win five, that's the big question, isn't it? That's Phil Mickelson's (major) career at the age of 40."

Jack Nicklaus won 15 majors before turning 40 and three after that, the final one at the memorable 1986 Masters.

Peter Kostis won't doubt Woods' ability to come back but agrees it will be a challenge.

"His future is going to be completely dependent on his health, and initially that's going to be his physical health," Kostis said. "Can he play an entire season and practice, grind out his golf game and not have his back flare up or some other injury occur?"

Kostis is right. We have seen injury and surgeries plague Woods. He needs to stay healthy for a few seasons in a row.

"If he can do that," Kostis continued, "then he'll have to address his mental issues, which have crept up over the last few years, and they are undeniable—the need to get his mental health back, and that won't come back until his physical health is answered. Those are the two big question marks for Tiger."

Sir Nick Faldo, who as most golf fans know rebuilt his swing under David Leadbetter, said that if you keep doing the same things and expect different results, they won't happen. Faldo, a six-time major champ, likes the idea of changing things up.

"Putting together his new team, new swing, new attitude, if he can come out and get in the mix, we're going to learn a lot more in the first few weeks," Faldo predicted. "We're going to really see how he is physically, technically and mentally, and that's a good indication to see what's anew."

Begay believes in what Woods is doing now.

"Going from where he was to where he wants to get is a step-by-step process," Begay explained. "For someone that's has achieved all the things he has in his career, maybe we give him a little bit of room, and maybe we let him work this out."

As for the Nicklaus record, Faldo reminded everyone of his view.

"I've said a long time ago, to beat Jack's record would be really tough," Faldo added. "I think, if he can win the 15th major, after now going seven years without winning a major—because you know there's a couple in there he was leading, and Olympic, he was leading there and had his worst weekend ever—that's the mental doubt, whether he can finish it off. So I think he's dying to believe he's good enough to get back in, test it, maybe get a win before Augusta, and that'll be the big test."

Gary McCord added that the "conversation is always, 'Is Tiger going to catch Jack? What do you think?'"

And so, after missing the cut at the Waste Management Open, Tiger Woods headed back to Florida to practice and work on his game before the Farmer's Insurance Open, which begins next week in San Diego.

"Hitting golf balls is one thing, and playing golf at home is another. Playing tournament golf is entirely another," Woods explained. "I have to continue with the process. I have been here before. It wasn't that long ago that I changed my swing with Sean, and I was Player of the Year only a year ago. You've gotta keep things in perspective, and sometimes it's difficult to do that."

Kathy Bissell is a Golf Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials from the PGA Tour, USGA, R&A or PGA of America.