Golf: For Woods, the long wait continues

For Tiger Woods, the long wait for a 15th major title success goes on.

The 37-year-old American completed what was for him an abject weekend at the US Open on Sunday with a round of 74 that left him in a tie for 32nd position.

His 13-over par total of 293 was his worst 72-hole US Open score relative to par as a professional and left many scratching their heads over what is going wrong with him at the majors.

“I did a lot of things right. Unfortunately I did a few things wrong, as well,” was his assessment of his play.

“I struggled with the speed (of the greens) all week. These greens are grainy. It’s one of the older bent grasses, creeping bent.

“So it’s a little bit grainy. I struggled with the speed, especially right around the hole. Putts were breaking a lot more. I gave it a little more break and then it would hang. That’s kind of the way it was this week.”

Putting, however, has not been a problem for Woods all year as he racked up four tournament wins en route to reclaiming the world number one spot.

It was the best form that Woods had shown going into the US Open in years and he was in the marquee group to start with at Merion Golf Club in the company of good friend Rory McIlroy and Masters Champion Adam Scott.

But instead of inspiring each other, Woods and McIlroy, the two top-ranking players in the world, seemed to drag each other down with the Ulsterman finishing one stroke further back after a 76.

It all seems a long way since Woods won his 14th major title at the age of 32 by defeating Rocco Mediate in a playoff at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, California.

At that time, his chase of the all-time majors win-record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus looked destined to be triumphant.

But five years later, during which time he endured several injuries, swing changes and a broken marriage, his quest looks more and more problematic.

Woods said that he would take a closer look at what had gone wrong this week and try to move on.

“There’s always a lesson to be learned in every tournament whether you win or lose,” he said.

“I’ll look back at the things I did right and the things I did wrong.”

Mext up for Woods will be his preparations for the British Open, to be held at Muirfield in the east of Scotland in late July.

His last appearance there in 2002 resulted in the worst score of his professional career when he shot a third round, 10-over 81, playing into the teeth of a storm that had swept in from the North Sea just as he was beginning his round.

Having won the Masters and the US Open that year, that round wrecked his hopes of pulling off golf’s fabled Grand Slam.

Out of contention, he came back the following day to shoot a 65 which will give him confidence for his return there next month.

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