PGA: Tiger struggles again, misses cut

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. -- It was all a matter of timing, Tiger Woods said. He never could get to the green soon enough, without a detour in a bunker or a pond. So he is heading directly home, sooner than he wanted or imagined.

Woods missed the cut, by a long way, at the PGA Championship and pretty much ended a season that has been one big detour.

"I thought I could come in here and play the last couple of weeks and get it done somehow," he said after finishing his two rounds at 10 over par, tied for 116th. "But I need some work."

He won't be around to see how the rest of the field does at the Atlanta Athletic Club that proved mostly tough, with a few notable exceptions. Former St. John's star Keegan Bradley shot 6-under-par 64 Friday and is tied for the halfway lead at 5 under with Jason Dufner. A big mix of veterans and youngsters is in contention (Jim Furyk and Scott Verplank are among those at 4 under).

"There always seems to be a couple guys in majors that surprise people," said Dufner, who shot 65 Friday.

No one in the field has the background and cachet of Woods, who missed a major cut for the third time as a pro (2006 U.S. Open, 2009 British Open). This one was in a class by itself, though. Before this week, he had made only 11 double bogeys in 936 holes at the PGA, a major he has won four times. On Thursday and Friday, he made five.

Woods -- playing for a second consecutive week after having missed nearly three months with knee and Achilles injuries -- had little control over his tee shots and approach shots. He hit into 22 bunkers and dunked four balls in water hazards. "That's not going to add up to a very good score," he said. "I putted well the last two days and really felt great but I just never got to the green soon enough."

At times, it grew embarrassing, such as the 12th hole on Friday, when he drove into the trees, punched out, hit a hacker-caliber dead pull back into the trees and wound up with his second consecutive double bogey. He attributed it to not having mastered the new swing he has been working on with coach Sean Foley.

"The changes I'm making, I'm hitting the ball farther and that's something I have to adjust for," he said. "I think it's a step back in the sense that I didn't make the cut and I'm not contending in the tournament. But it's a giant leap forward . . . that I played two straight weeks, healthy."

Student and teacher will have plenty of time now. Woods will not be in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs because he is not among the top 125 on the points list. He won't try to move up in the last pre-playoff tournament next week because, he said, he has family commitments. His next scheduled event is not until November.

"I've got some time off again," said the golfer who has had more than his share of that. "This year has been frustrating because I was feeling somewhat healthy going into the Masters and put it together there and was leading the tournament with a few holes to go. Then obviously I got hurt. And I haven't played since, really. I missed two major championships and missed the cut in the other one."

A day after he said his dominant emotion was anger, he said he was more disappointed. "I'm not contending in the tournament," he said. "So, next time."