Tiger Woods' Opening Round 80 at the U.S. Open Continues his Downslide

Tiger Woods’ opening round 80 at the U.S. Open was horrific, although not unexpected. How bad exactly was Woods’ round? Well, 15-year-old Cole Hammer finished his opening round at seven-over, and is just one of 17 amateurs to finish ahead of the 14-time major champion.

Hell, Woods topped a ball on the par-5 18th into a bunker a mere 30-yards in front of him. That’s right, a professional golfer that once dominated the sport topped the ball. Don’t believe me?

That topped ball above was just one of many problems Woods suffered on the course. Woods has been unable to consistently hit fairways in recent tournaments, something that is necessary at Chambers Bay in order to have any sort of success. In his opening round, Woods hit 6 of 14 fairways and finished tied for 152nd in driving accuracy. His lone birdie of the day came on the par-4 16th.

Granted, Woods was not the only one to struggle on the course today; both Woods’ playing partners had horrible rounds also. Maybe Woods’ poor play was contagious. Rickie Fowler, who won the Players Championship earlier this year, finished at 11-over, and Louis Oosthuizen finished at seven-over. This course doesn’t suit everyone’s game, but some like Phil Mickelson, who has had an up and down season, turned in a one-under opening round and appeared comfortable all day.

Despite all of his struggles, Woods managed to smile and keep his composure throughout his round, even chuckling afterwards while saying, “The bright side is at least I kicked Rickie’s butt today.” Maybe it’s because he knows what he’s become and where his game is. Woods will need to shoot around 64 on Friday in order to make the cut. That is unlikely to happen.

After his 85 at The Memorial, I wrote that it may be time for Tiger to put the clubs in the garage, it seems like that time is approaching quickly. I’ve been willing to wait it out to see if Tiger could bounce back from the bottom of the pit that he’s allowed himself to slip into over the last few years. I’ve been willing to wait through the coaching changes and swing changes in hopes that something will click and we’d get to see a competitive Tiger, but now I’d rather watch someone, hell, I’d rather watch anyone else. I’m a Tiger fan and I always will be. I would love to see him make one last run at a major, but I don’t want to see this. Show me good golf, not the golf of a man who has lost himself and his game.

So is it time for Tiger to take a permanent break? A break that will allow the new generation to replace him in the spotlight? A break that will give media members something else to talk about instead of the struggles of a beaten and broken man? A break that will allow us, fans, to remember him for the great things he did for the sport and the miraculous shots that he hit time and over again?

Maybe it is. Maybe it is.

Golf still wins.