That empty feeling
He faces the next seven months without a major championship trophy on his mantel, an affliction suffered by just everyone in golf but one that will be more difficult for him to endure. That is part of being Tiger Woods.
For the first time since he was a mere 22 years old, Woods heads into the remaining weeks of the official season having not won any of the previous four majors. April and The Masters must seem like a long way away.
Of course, Woods went through this before, back in 1998. And he admitted over the weekend at Oak Hill Country Club, where he ran his majorless streak to six at the PGA Championship, that he expects there to be more years such as this.
When there are only four majors in a year, there are going to be times when you don't get one of them. That's golf.
But Woods also acknowledged that the circumstances following the PGA at Sahalee in 1998 -- the last time he didn't have a major in a calendar year -- were completely different.
"At that time, I had won only one major,'' he said. "It was not like I had won a whole bunch of majors and had expectations like I have now. It was totally different. And I was revamping my golf swing. And to me, I felt '98 was a better year than '97. It had more top-10s and that's what I wanted to do was become more consistent.
"In '97, I challenged in one major and I won it. The rest of them, I was completely out of it. In '98, I challenged the field and I was very happy about that, that type of progress," he said.
"This year has been frustrating, since I've been there with a chance going into the weekend, every one except for this one. It just hasn't happened.''
Woods tied for 15th at The Masters, won by Mike Weir, after starting the final round within four shots of the lead. At the U.S. Open, where Jim Furyk prevailed, Woods had a chance entering the weekend after a second-round 66, but fell out of contention by the end of the third round. His best chance came last month at the British Open, where he entered the final round two shots out of the lead, but bogeyed two of the last four holes to finish two shots behind Ben Curtis in a tie for fourth.
At the PGA, Woods was never in contention. With just one birdie in an opening 74, he was eight shots behind the lead. He could never make up the ground and finished 16 shots behind winner Shaun Micheel. For the entire tournament, Woods made six birdies; Micheel had five on Sunday.
If anything, the PGA setup showed exactly how to Tiger-proof a course. It wasn't length that doomed Woods. Nor was it an abundance of doglegs or short holes. It was single-file fairways coupled with nasty rough. Even in the best of times, Woods has never been the world's most accurate driver. He plays from the rough a good bit, and does so quite well.
But at Oak Hill, that was impossible even for him. Balls that went into the rough were doomed. There was no advancing them to the green, at least not with any precision. And when his precision with irons waned, Woods was in trouble. In fact, the putter that failed him at times earlier this year was brilliant. If it weren't for a number of par-saving putts, Woods' foursome of above-par scores may have approached 80. And his tie for 39th, worst in 28 major appearances as a pro, could have been even more disappointing.
"I fought just to shoot bad,'' he said. "That's what is frustrating.''
But before anyone becomes alarmed, remember that the eight major championships won to this point should be the bigger surprise. Nobody, including Jack Nicklaus, won seven of 11, as Woods did at one point. So many players crave for just one or two of those titles.
Woods has not won a major since the '02 U.S. Open, but it is still a full year's worth short of his longest stretch to date, 10 events from the 1997 Masters victory until his 1999 PGA triumph.
A reminder: Nicklaus went 12 majors between victories, from the 1967 U.S. Open to the 1970 British Open. He still won a record total of 18. And Nicklaus never won more than two majors in any season, never won more than two in a row. In fact, Nicklaus had seven seasons between 1962 and 1980 where he failed to win a single grand slam event.
So it happens ... even to the guy whose record Woods is chasing.
Woods seems to grasp that quite well. He once talked of winning every tournament he entered, but reality is that is not possible, even for the best player in the game.
Perhaps it softens the blow some to see unexpected names come through at the biggest tournaments. For the first time since 1969, we have four first-time major winners in the same year. It adds credence to the theory that it is difficult to win majors, that a slew of players can emerge to knock Woods off.
If anything, that should be more frustrating to the likes of Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson. Els, Love and Singh are having monster years, but couldn't capture a major without Woods in the picture. Garcia and Mickelson are still searching for a major title, and guys like Curtis and Micheel get them instead.
So Woods isn't the only player shaking his head today.
But he does have plenty to play for, starting with this week's NEC Invitational. The Player of the Year award is still at stake, as is the PGA Tour money title. That should be plenty of motivation.
And by the time all those things are decided, Augusta will be just five months away.
Bob Harig of the St. Peterberg Times is a regular contributor to ESPN.com
