Tiger could not cut it on relentless old course

CADDIE'S ROLE:Woods proves to be a mere mortal as little else changes in Akron, writes COLIN BYRNE

THE AMERICANS are not shy about feting their stars. They may even be accused of worshipping their sporting heroes. I arrived back in the somewhat dated town of Akron, Ohio, last week for the Bridgestone International golfer worshipping week which happened to coincide with the American Football Hall of Fame induction weekend.

So if every hotel in the Akron/Canton region was not full of golf enthusiasts, it was likely to be chock full of football aficionados. If anything happens at all in Akron, it all seems to happen at once.

It has been a few years since I have been at the Bridgestone event. Normally you notice some changes to a place you have not visited for quite some time. This was not the case in Akron.

There was one marked difference at the Firestone Country Club however; the leader board had changed considerably with no sign of Tiger Woods name flashing in bright lights atop the board.

The sight of the Great One skulking around the bottom of the eighty-odd field was, in some bizarre way, encouraging to the mere mortals of the world of professional golf. Tiger must finally have some empathy for what most top golfers go through on a regular basis throughout many tour campaigns; a lack of form combined with a feeling of low self-esteem.

Last week at Akron was surely Tiger Woods nadir period, from where the only way to go as a golfer is up. Quitting was not a word the old Woods comprehended. Tiger gave up last week, finishing with an 18-over-par four round total.

It was a bad week to hit such a low. Most weeks on tour offer you the get-out clause of a cut after two rounds. Not so in Akron. If you were playing badly in the first two rounds you were not going to enjoy the refuge of the cut. Instead, you would have to endure the torture of playing competitive golf in a totally uncompetitive mood.

If nothing else, last week’s performance from Tiger will highlight just how unbelievably good, from a mental perspective, he has been in the past. He has hit the ball badly in the past and still performed admirably due to unerring concentration and determination. Without either, he became like the rest of the talented but not exceptional golfers that scrambled around the uncompromising Firestone South course last weekend, out of sorts.

Of course, as much as it was always a Tiger media fest when he was playing well, there was even more of a spotlight on him playing badly. It was a macabre voyeurism that disproves my previous belief the man was super-human. It will make his comeback even more interesting to observe.

On a more upbeat note, my own return to Firestone was for my debut appearance on the other side of Edoardo Molinaris golf bag. He is the taller of the two brothers from Torino, Italy.

News of change travels fast on tour, no matter where in the world you are playing, the bag changes of caddies spread quicker than a flame through a synthetic golf shirt.

The question most of my colleagues asked, after how I managed on my first day with my new boss, was what happened to his old caddie.

My first day was an informal introduction to Edoardo with a casual nine holes, with plenty of time for uninterrupted idle banter. It was the ideal atmosphere in which to get familiar with each other.

I suggested on the range, after our first practice round, that we do some distance work so that I would get an idea of how far my new man hits the ball. Edoardo immediately delved into a pocket of his organised golf bag and produced a neat, laminated card with the distances he hits each club listed in order.

He even went to the trouble of giving the maximum and minimum lengths he should hit each club. I showed the qualified engineer my altimetre, which I have used for some time now in order to get accurate readings of elevation on the course (in an attempt to bring something to the table). He had not seen such a device. It obviously impressed the man who has both a curious and practical interest in such detailed calculation.

My first lesson on day one was this man has an eye for pertinent detail. I made a mental note of the specifics that would be required. All players are indeed different and require varying degrees of information in order to help them make decisions.

Just in case anyone thought these talented golfers rely simply on talent to get their golf ball close to the hole, it was worth casting an eye down the driving range which was occupied from early morning to late evening with gifted golfers.

Many of them have machines by their side telling them about their launch angles, spin rates and distances carried.

In fact, some golfers were being tested for their biometrics earlier in the week, which made them look like they were being bionically bred for duty with all the wires that were hanging out of them, as scientists computed their swings.

Edoardo tried out the cables but instantly recognised the limitations of such experiments. I was relieved by his take on such analysis. He understands what is relevant to improving his play.

It is very much a family affair when the Molinari brothers contend in the same event. Apart from practice rounds, they tended to hit balls side by side on the range. They had their parents over last week and it was easy to see humour was very much part of the family make up.

Edoardo’s father joked that his son had never been beaten by a guy playing with an orange golf ball before. Our playing partner during the third round was Katzu Miyamoto, who ended up shooting 62, with an orange golf ball.

Nothing had physically changed at the Firestone Country Club last week. It was still a tough challenge to those being exposed to a relentless golf course with no cut to hide behind.

“As much as it was always a Tiger media fest when he was playing well, there was even more of a spotlight on him playing badly. It was a macabre voyeurism that disproves my previous belief that the man was super-human. His comeback will be interesting to observe