The New Tiger Woods Is Playing a Different Game

“Power” has always been the word most synonymous with Tiger Woods.

When Woods was 7 years old, he was hitting the ball longer than most 12-year-olds.

When he was 12, he was hitting the ball longer than most 16-year-olds.

When he was 16, he was hitting the ball longer than, well, just about anyone who had ever picked up a golf club.

When Woods first arrived on the PGA Tour back in 1996, he completely decimated golf courses with a length that had even his playing partners looking on in utter amazement. 

It was almost comical watching a lanky 20-year-old kid confidently blast his drives a good 40 yards past the likes of Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Tom Lehman and Phil Mickelson.

In 1997, Woods made a complete mockery of Augusta National by getting home in two on virtually every par-five with nothing more than a driver and an eight iron.  Woods finished the 97’ Masters at 18-under-par, won by 12 strokes and officially altered the future of golf course architecture forever.   

Over the past 12 years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on “Tiger Proofing” golf courses.

Woods’ 14 major championship wins have come, in large part, as a result of his ability to annihilate the par-fives.

That was Tiger Woods then.  But, the Tiger Woods of 2009 is being forced to play a game different to any he’s ever played before.

For the first time in his life, Woods is playing the same game as everyone else.  He’s hemorrhaging distance faster than Wall Street has been hemorrhaging cash, and the distinct advantage he used to enjoy through his herculean power is no longer existent.

In 1997, Woods averaged 294 yards off the tee while playing with a driver that was the size of a modern day five-wood and a ball that did not yet have afterburners installed.  

In 2004, Woods averaged 301 yards off the tee.  In 2005, his drives flew an average of 316 yards.

But in 2009, Woods has dropped back to an average of 298 yards off the tee.  He is still one of the longer hitters on tour, but he’s also one of the few players on tour who have gone backwards in length over the past few years as equipment and golf balls have allowed even 10 handicappers to hit 270 yard drives.

2009 marked the first year Woods has ever finished outside of the top-20 on tour in driving distance.  He has only finished outside the top-10 twice in his career (in 2005 he finished 11th and in 2007 he finished 12th).

At the 2009 Masters, Woods was paired with Phil Mickelson on Sunday.

Mickelson’s drives consistently flew 15-20 yards further that Woods’.  At that time, Woods had just returned from reconstructive ACL surgery, so it was palpable to believe that Woods was not yet playing at 100 percent.

Then at the 2009 PGA Championship, Woods’ typical domination of the par-fives was non-existent and he was subsequently beat by the far shorter hitting Y.E. Yang.

At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Woods was pulling the same clubs on par-threes as Mike Weir and Steve Stricker, both of whom are considered amongst the shorter hitters on tour.

During the third round of last week’s WGC-HSBC Champions, Woods could only watch as a guy in a painters cap and walking shoes – Ryan Moore – outdrive him on virtually every hole.

On Sunday, Woods began his final round just two strokes off the lead and was grouped with Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney in the day’s final pairing.  

On the par-five second, Woods was out-driven by both Watney and Mickelson and needed a three wood to get home in two while Watney and Mickelson reached easily with long irons. 

On the fourth hole, Woods found the fairway with a three wood and then sat by and watched Watney outdrive him with a three wood of his own, and Mickelson outdrive both of them with an iron.

On the par-five eighth, Watney outdrove Woods by around 20 yards, and despite finding the fairway, Woods was forced to layup on a hole that a large percentage of the field was going for in two. 

On the ninth, Mickelson was within ten yards of hitting his three-wood further than Woods’ driver, and on the 11th, Mickelson once again hit a long iron further than Woods’ three-wood.

Rory McIlroy, who was playing several groups ahead of Woods, needed only a three wood to reach the short par-four 16th, while about an hour later Woods came up just short and right with a driver.

The reasons behind Woods’ alarming loss in distance could be numerous.

First, he’s playing on a knee that was surgically reconstructed just 16 months ago.  Woods himself has admitted that, in an attempt to protect his left knee, he was not fully transferring his weight to his left side during early part of the 2009 season.  Perhaps he’s still a little apprehensive about going all out on his surgically repaired knee.

Second, he may only be swinging at 70-80 percent in an attempt to gain more control.  It’s no secret that Woods’ Achilles heel has always been an erratic driver, and one that has been even more erratic since his return from the knee injury. 

Third, back in 1997 Woods was golfing. Today he seems to be more concerned with swinging.  What that means is that when Woods first burst onto the scene and began making a mockery of the courses he played on, he was simply playing golf.  Today, he appears to be thinking more about his golf swing when standing over the ball than about simply playing the shot.

Fourth, Woods swing was a lot quicker and more free-flowing back in 1997-2000 when compared to his 2009 golf swing.

Silky smooth would be the best description of his 2000 swing, while his 2009 swing could be seen as somewhat robotic, particularly on tee shots.

The reasons behind his recent loss in distance are irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is that he has lost an advantage that he has relied heavily upon for his entire golfing life.

From AJGA Tournaments right on up through major championships, Woods’ ability to hit the ball significantly further than anyone else has always provided him with a physical and mental advantage over his competition.

Imagine playing with the 2000 Tiger Woods on Sunday of a major championship while holding a three stroke lead with just nine holes to play and knowing full well that Woods will at least birdie if not eagle each of the two par-fives on the back-nine.  That is something that eats at a players mind and forces him to alter the way he plays his game over the final nine holes.  That, in essence, is the closest thing golf has to an intimidation factor.  

Today, Woods is on the outside looking in. He’s the one watching players get home in two on par-fives with a driver and long iron while he’s forced to lay up and hope he can stick his wedge close enough to have a decent look at birdie.

Can Woods still dominate?

Of course he can.  Woods is so far ahead of his competition that he can still win and win often while not at his best.  With six wins and nine additional top-10 finishes in 17 events, Woods was as dominant as ever in 2009.  Despite a loss in distance, he still managed to lead the tour in par-five scoring average this year, which is a testiment to his extraordinary level of skill in every other aspect of the game.  

A closer in baseball can lose five mph on his fastball and still be dominant.  

That being said, dominating the ninth inning would be a little easier if he still had those additional five mph.