Awful Woods hits worst opening round in 15 years

While Rory McIlroy was making headlines for heroically playing on despite an injured wrist and heading to hospital for an MRI scan after the first day of the PGA Championship, a bigger question loomed at the end of play: are we seeing the end of Tiger Woods?

Woods's woes are well documented: since the sex scandal that rocked his world in November 2009 the former world number one has lost his wife, his sponsors, his caddie, his fans and above all his form. Yet his appearance in this tournament, after months of struggling with a crocked knee, was being touted as his big return.  

It could not have gone any worse. Playing in the 100 degree heat of Atlanta, Woods carded a seven-over 77. This was the American's worst opening round in any tournament since 1996, his worst ever start in a major.

As Tiger took to the fairway under a clear blue sky yesterday morning there was little sense of impending disaster. The 35-year-old had played up his fitness and enjoyed a great start, birdying three of his first five holes to share the lead. "I was three under early and every shot I hit up to that point were all mechanical thoughts," Woods said.  

But on sixth hole, things started to go astray. "I figured I could let it go and play through instinct and feel," he explained. The result was 10 shots dropped in 13 holes. "I screwed up the whole round. I started fighting it and couldn't get it back. It's very frustrating."

The ignominy of a man who has won 14 majors scoring an opening round of seven-over should not be underestimated, as the long list of unfortunate statistics helps highlight. Woods hit 12 bunkers, finishing 14 shots behind his Ryder Cup partner Steve Stricker. He carded a hat-trick of double-bogies for only the second time in his career. By the end of play, only 24 of the tournament's 156 golfers had endured a worse day.

"I'm really angry right now," said a dejected Woods once he has back in the clubhouse. "And there's a lot of words I could use beyond that".  

Woods may feel as though he has begun the long climb back to the top, but this was a leap in the opposite direction. With his worst first day in a tournament for fifteen years, critics are legitimately asking whether a wayward and increasingly injury-prone Woods will ever get back to his best. There is now no certainty that, as his supporters like to argue, his class will eventually shine through.

It had once seemed like a forgone conclusion that Tiger would overtake Jack Nicklaus's record haul of 18 majors. Now only the brightest optimist can foresee Woods winning another major any time soon, let alone five. ·