Today, at 1:48 EST, Tiger Woods will be teeing it up at the Masters. It has been a long time since he has played in a tournament. Longer still since he has won. His round today will be closely scrutinized by fans of golf and millions of others whose interest in the game pretty much begins and ends with Woods and how he is doing. And the question lurking in the minds of all is … does he have the “yips?”
Especially when it comes to the part of the game known as “chipping.”
Woods says he’s fine. That the shots he hit that made him look like a weekend, twenty-handicapper were the result of a mechanical problem that he has since fixed. Phil Mickelson, for one, agrees.
A former coach, Hank Haney, thinks otherwise and says so … bluntly:
Those who are unfamiliar with the term, can learn more – much, much more – by reading David Owen’s wonderful New Yorker piece on the subject.
Many answers will be revealed in the four hours or so that it will take Woods to complete his round.
ESPN will have it live.
