He looks like Tiger of old, but will he tank again?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/07/2012 (5148 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — It’s beginning to look familiar again, like it did when the mere mention of Tiger Woods made the putting stroke of anyone on the leaderboard of a major get just a little quicker. It sure sounded familiar when he holed out from the bunker on the final hole Friday, and cheers echoed off the giant grandstands surrounding the 18th green.

We used to expect it every time a big tournament came around. His fellow players still do, which speaks to the aura Woods still has.

“I guess we knew that one was in before it even got there,” Graeme McDowell said.

Officially, it did little but secure Woods a late tee time today and move him one shot closer to what no longer seems like such a substantial lead held by Brandt Snedeker. The fist pump seemed to indicate otherwise, as if Woods was announcing that anyone wanting this British Open would have to deal with him on the weekend.

Just like old times, indeed. But before anyone gets too excited about Woods and his chances of finally winning his 15th major championship, remember this: He’s not the Tiger Woods of old just yet.

For evidence of that, look no further than what happened just a few weeks ago on the California coast when Woods played so flawlessly the first two days, it was all the television talking heads could do to keep from awarding him the U.S. Open trophy then and there. He went out on the weekend tied for the lead, only to self-destruct with a string of wayward shots and missed putts.

The reality is he still hasn’t won a major since taking the U.S. Open four years ago at Torrey Pines. Although he’s won three British Opens, the last one came before he turned 30 and long before his life turned upside down.

His presence in the second-to-last group today will send TV ratings soaring; that’s for certain. What isn’t nearly as certain, perhaps even to Woods himself, is whether he can manage the pressure of a weekend the way he once did against players who, for the most part, no longer fear him like they once did.

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“With the weather that’s forecast on Sunday and tomorrow, it’s going to be a good weekend,” he said.

Unfortunately for Woods, the weather forecast around here is as fickle as his game in recent times. A links course that has played soft and relatively easy could bare its teeth if the weather warms and the wind blows on Sunday as predicted. What Woods has been successful at for two days– mostly playing conservatively off the tee — might not be the right game plan if other players are getting aggressive and making birdies around him.

Still, the fact he’s put himself in contention on the weekend for the second straight major with two solid rounds of 67 has to be comforting. At age 36, though, he needs to start closing the show instead of just putting on a show.

— The Associated Press