The Crouching Tiger That Never Pounced: Tiger Presses To No Avail

After Tiger Woods hit his approach into the first green today at Hazeltine National Golf Club, it was safe to say many would have given him the Wanamaker Trophy right then and there.

Honestly, the vast majority would have given him the trophy after Thursday or Friday's round.

However, Y.E. Yang and Tiger's own Scotty Cameron putter had other plans. Through the immense pressure of playing with Woods in red, Yang hung in there and tamed a beast, some would say.

Others would say it was Tiger who tamed himself.

On a day when most assumed Woods would begin a leisurely walk to victory, it was more of a crawl to the 72nd hole. Usually in a major, when that familiar stare is in the last group wearing red, it usually tells opponents they are playing for second; however, today it looked as if Tiger was wounded.

As the day progressed, each putt continued to miss by inches, and each grimace put more confidence in Yang's mind. Each putt that missed put Woods in a very unfamiliar place, falling from the top of the leader board on a Sunday in which he began with the lead.

As many have said in the past—and many will continue to say in the future—golf is a game of inches. The inches that mattered today for Woods came on the putting surface, and more importantly, between his two ears.

You can say his putting wasn't what it normally is, or his ball striking wasn't his best; however, it was the fact Tiger was forcing shots and putts which led to his downfall. 

When it comes down to it, each putt that slowly trickled by, Tiger was taken out of his element. He is used to pouring in the putts that define a tournament, and it made him press.

He had to shoot for pins on the final holes, resulting in bogeys. Anyone in golf will tell you, when your back is against the wall, forcing shots will never end in great results.

When a reporter asked Woods if he had lost the championship, or Yang had simply beat him, Tiger replied, "Both." This statement is true, but the fact is Yang was the one who put Tiger on the run, and Tiger is not used to playing that kind of golf.

Be honest, when have you ever seen Tiger shoot a 75 on a Sunday, let alone in a major? When have you ever seen a player hit the shots Woods normally hits on Sundays, the shots that stick daggers through the hearts of opponents? Woods was outplayed, by a man that also played in the same group as him!

This loss takes nothing away from the tremendous legacy that Tiger has built and continues to add to. When all is said and done, Woods is just a human, and not necessarily the machine that the world has made him out to be. He enjoys winning, and most of all, he will be back for more majors, and more victories on any stage for that matter, in 2010.

In a year, where the majors have been more about the disappointments than the miraculous wins, tip your hat to the man who hit the shots that put Tiger out of his element, Y.E. Yang.