Greens Kept Tiger From Another Jacket

By John Nestor

AUGUSTA, Georgia (Ticker) -- Another green jacket got away from Tiger Woods this week at The Masters and that - as surprising as it may be - is becoming a yearly theme at Augusta National. Since winning his fourth Masters title in 2005, Woods has finished third, second and second again this year.

While Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman became first-time major winners with Masters wins, Woods has been able only to stay in contention without getting over the hump. Woods' struggles at Augusta - if you can call three top-three finishes a struggle - have been on the greens and with the par-5s. Woods used to dominate the par-5s but played them in only 4-under this week. To put that in perspective, Steve Flesch played the par-5s in 5-under in one day, when he shot a 67 on Friday.

The lengthening of the course as well as the added trees and bigger bunkers have offset some of Woods' overwhelming advantages at Augusta. After posting a 65 in the third round in 2005, Woods went 11 consecutive rounds without breaking 70 until he shot a 68 on Saturday. As low as his third round was this year, it could have been much lower. If it was, things may have turned out differently on Sunday. Woods continuously missed birdie putts when he needed them, many from 10 to 15 feet. He did roll in a 65 footer at No. 11 on Sunday to give himself a glimmer of hope, but he missed a four-foot birdie putt at 13 and then bogeyed No. 14 to end the slim chance he had at a fifth green jacket. "I didn't putt well all week," said Woods, who finished 21st in the field in putting. "Out here, if you're not starting the ball perfectly on line, you're not going to make any putts." He did finally make one on 18, a birdie that drew a wry smile and wave to the patrons that seemed to ask, "where was that all week?"

Woods was hardly alone in struggling and Augusta National just does not surrender birdies like it used to, but somehow you come to expect more from Woods. He didn't have around over-par all week and his even-par 72 on Sunday was three shots better than Immelman. But, Woods left himself too much work to do and could only halve the six-shot deficit he faced entering the final round. "I just didn't make any putts all week," Woods said. "I hit the ball well enough to contend. I hit the ball definitely well enough to put pressure on Trevor back there, but I just didn't make any putts."

So now the Grand Slam talk is officially dead, unless you think Immelman is going to blitz through the majors. And Woods, who pronounced a calender Grand Slam as something that was "easily within reason" has to go back to the drawing board and make sure putting is not the reason he comes up empty the next time. But the next time, we shouldn't expect any grandious pronouncements from Woods. "I learned my lesson there with the press. I'm not going to say anything," Woods said. "You're trying to win a golf tournament, you're trying to out yourself in position, which I did. I just didn't make the putts I needed to make this entire week. I had the speed right, I just didn't get the line right." No he didn't, because the line should be that nothing in golf is easy at all, especially putting at Augusta National.