Good stretch for anyone else a slump for Tiger

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Cejka, who watched his five-shot lead turn into an eight-shot deficit, couldn't help but notice that Woods didn't hit very many good shots. He was no less astounded by the 1-over 73 on Woods' card.

"It should have been 5 over the way he kind of played,'' Cejka said. "But he's a grinder, you know?''

Even so, the pressure will build.

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Woods' next scheduled start is the Memorial, where he is a three-time winner, but not since 2001. Then comes his return to Bethpage Black for the U.S. Open, where he won by three shots in 2002 and will be expected to do something similar.

It's always best to look at Woods as a portrait instead of a snapshot.

One golf magazine once ran a picture of Woods on the cover with a headline, "What's wrong with Tiger?'' Within months, he ran off consecutive victories at Bay Hill, The Players Championship and the Masters.

"I'll fix it,'' Woods said as he left Sawgrass.

Remember, he has played only six times since being gone for eight months. It might be best to wait until the majors are over to see what kind of progress Woods has made after being away for so long.

Or maybe he'll win the U.S. Open, and everyone will wonder what the fuss was all about.

You can be sure though that the only people who aren't the least bit concerned about Woods are the guys he is trying to beat.

"This will be just another motivational tactic for him,'' Goydos said. "The more this happens, the worse it will be when the putts fall and when he stops having to hit left-handed. He's going to kill us even more. We're all going to be Rory Sabbatini and Stephen Ames for three months. And I haven't even said a word.''

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