Tame Tiger not burning bright

SOONER or later, Tiger will just have to own up — things ain’t what they used to be.

This point was never more graphically demonstrated than in the 104th US Open Championship that came to an end here last night with the leaderboard dominated by his fellow Americans, Australians, Japanese, Canadians and Spaniards but not a sign of the world number one.

Even his greatest admirers and most loyal apologists are forced to admit that Woods has lost his lustre on and off the course. As always, he is courteous and articulate at his press conferences in truth, though, they are bland and uninformative, full of pious platitudes and pleas that I'm "close" to this and "close" to that.