Tiger Woods was clad in his hallmark red for the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open last month when he took a compact swipe at his 141-yard approach shot on the second hole. The ball found the green and took two short hops before it bounced in and out of the cup, leaving him with a short putt for birdie.
It was a near miss that delighted the massive crowd that had formed around the green. But from his position on the fairway, Woods wore an impassive expression. He neither smiled nor scowled. He just seemed to be going about his familiar business at Torrey Pines Golf Course, a tract in San Diego that he knew well.