Underdog Role New for Woods

It was eight years ago, on the other side of the country, and it was raining that night too. The only other common link to Saturday afternoon was Tiger Woods.

He had just been honored as the PGA Tour’s player of the year for his breakthrough 1997 season that included his triumph at the Masters. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer stepped to the podium and paid homage to the 22-year-old kid.

And when it was over, Woods left the building alone, paused under the awning and stared out at the wet night. Then he braced himself and ran off into the downpour.

I realized that you can have all the talent in the world, be praised by the golfing gods and sign rich endorsement contracts ... but sometimes you’d rather have an umbrella.

It rains on the just and the unjust, the saying goes. It also rains on the weekend hackers and the 320-yard bombers.

Since that night at the annual PGA dinner it has been easy to forget that Woods can also be susceptible to the same laws of nature that govern the rest of us. We’ve seen him add nine more major championship trophies to his collection and deposit another $55 million worth of PGA winnings in his bank account.

With him, it’s both a laboratory and a history lesson, as his imagination and unmatched abilities allow him to create new shots on the fly, while he racks up wins at an unprecedented pace. For him, ordinary is the exception.

Which brings us to a soggy Saturday at Augusta National and the suspended third round of the Masters. Rain and thunderstorm warnings caused a nearly 4 1/2 -hour delay and Woods played nine holes before the encroaching darkness brought the tournament to a halt. He’s at three under par, three shots behind leader Chad Campbell.

“Tiger’s always close,” said Rocco Mediate, who’s tied for second at five under. “As long as he’s upright, he’s close.”

Woods was four shots behind Chris DiMarco with 27 holes left to play last year. The positions and the possibilities seem the same. It’s the perception of Woods that’s different.

We’ve seen Woods walk this perfectly trimmed course as a breakthrough phenom and a dominating force. This week, the defending champion seems to be ... an underdog.

He’s playing under the duress of his father’s ailing health. Earl Woods is dealing with the worst word in the English language: “metastasized,” weakened by a return of cancer. It was serious enough for Tiger to fly back to California the week of the Players Championship to visit with his father.

Nothing makes you feel as helpless as watching a loved one fight a deadly disease. Woods at times this week has seemed just a little wearier, his intensity downgraded from hurricane strength to tropical storm. Two fans deciding on their next stop Friday decided to catch up with Woods because, “We need to go support Tiger.”

There’s a new concept. Woods usually needs more people in his gallery the way CBS needs more soft piano music. But there was a sense around Augusta that Woods could use a little help. He stayed off the leaderboard for 4 1/2 hours Friday, until he birdied No. 15 and dropped to one under par.

We’re still waiting for his patented run. He has yet to string together consecutive birdies in the tournament.

And this time, Mr. Miracle fell victim to an inexplicable phenomenon on the last hole of the second round. Woods’ ball landed eight feet from the cup, on the lower part of the tiered green.

Playing partner Edoardo Molinari, an Italian amateur playing in his first Masters, left his approach shot on top of the ridge. It stayed there for their entire walk up the fairway.

Just as they reached the green, the ball started to trickle back down the mound, toward the hole. Maybe it was a gust of wind or the vibrations generated by the gallery’s standing ovation, but something got it going after it had stood still 10 times longer than Woods’ chip shot on No. 16 hung on the lip last year.

Woods laughed and gave Molinari five.

“He said, ‘That was cool,’ ” Molinari said.

But because the ball was now inside Woods’, it meant Woods would have to putt first, and wouldn’t get the advantage of reading the line from Molinari’s shot. Woods missed his birdie putt by inches to the left. Worth remembering if he loses by a stroke.

The closer he got to wearing the red shirt, the more focused Woods became. Each day he becomes less talkative about his personal issues.

How’s he feeling? “I feel good. I feel very good.”

Heard any good news from the home front? “Yeah, it’s good. Yep.”

He was much more expansive when discussing the rain’s effect on the green’s softness or the prospects of playing a 27-hole day Sunday.

“I know I’m in condition for it,” Woods said of the marathon day. “That’s not a problem. It’s just a matter of going out there and playing well.”

Woods never makes golf sound difficult. This week we’ve been reminded that it’s everything else that makes life so hard. It’s the skies overhead and the world on the other side of the clubhouse.

At least Sunday’s forecast calls for sunshine.