Tiger Woods stuck on ‘the bogey train’ at US PGA – but for how much longer?

Word was relayed before Tiger Woods had even completed his third round at this US PGA Championship. The 46-year-old would not be undertaking standard media duties, with his management doubtless fearing Woods would score in the 80s for only the third time in his major championship career. Woods was spared that ignominy – a birdie at the 15th and the brave saving of par at the last allowed him to post 79 in his 79th US PGA Championship round – but this was still a grim scene in Tulsa for golf’s returning icon.

As Webb Simpson was piecing together a 65, the scale of physical impairment to Woods on a cold morning was painfully obvious. So much so, in fact, that he refused to even offer a guarantee about returning for round four during brief questioning with a pool reporter. “Well, I’m sore,” said Woods. “I know that is for a fact. We’ll do some work and see how it goes.”

Woods was now 12 over par for the tournament. It was incredible to think that 16 hours earlier he had stood on a podium and asserted he could win this very event. It sounded flawed then, as if Woods has to publicly convince himself of a necessity to retain lofty goals. Placed in context of his dismal third round, it appeared plain daft.

“I just didn’t play well,” he added. “I didn’t hit the ball very well and got off to not the start I needed to get off to. I thought I hit a good tee shot down the 2nd and ended up in the water. I just never really got any kind of momentum on my side.

“I couldn’t get off the bogey train. I didn’t do anything right. I didn’t hit many good shots. Consequently I ended up with a pretty high score.”

The bigger picture felt impossible to ignore. This marks just Woods’s second event since he was hauled from the wreckage of his car