Tiger Woods Spots Young Guys a Lead Before Remembering He's Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods played a very ho-hum round on Thursday. Is it possible he was just toying with tournament leader Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, who is currently second?

It certainly seems possible, but anyone who was on the course today knows differently.

After shooting a first-round 71 in perfect scoring conditions, and then playing the first nine in one-under on Friday, Woods and his long-time caddy Steve Williams were seen on the tenth tee having a heated conversation.

Observers would report that it looked like Williams was giving the most dominant player of this generation a well-deserved tongue lashing.

Whatever Williams said to Woods, it obviously worked as Woods proceeded to play the back nine in 31 without a single bogey. He ended his round tied for third, only three shots back of McIlroy and a stroke behind Day in second place.

When he was asked after his round what his caddy said to him, Woods replied, "He said, 'You are Tiger freaking Woods. Start playing like it.'"

When pressed about how that would help him play better, Woods said, "Dude, I'm Tiger freaking Woods."

It seems apparent that somewhere in all the talk of cocktail waitresses and renovations to his $25 million house, and in all the hub-bub around swing changes and selling yachts, Tiger had forgotten that he is, well, Tiger.

A reporter found Steve Williams as he was loading Tiger's bag into a car to head home for the day and asked him what he would have told Tiger if telling him he is Tiger hadn't worked. Williams replied with a wry smile, "I don't know. I might have tried to convince him he is Jack freaking Nicklaus."

(All quotes are fictitious and completely the work of the author's imagination)