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Seven back at Memorial, should Woods shift focus to Pebble?

DUBLIN, Ohio – Tiger Woods carved his drive into the 18th fairway late Friday afternoon. The fans had already started for the exits and, if we’re being honest, his title chances had likely been lost in the ankle-high rough left of the 15th green. But for a moment the artist admired his work.

There were a few moments midway through Woods’ second round at the Memorial when images of a sixth grey jacket probably began dancing through his head.

He birdied the par-5 11th hole and added another at No. 13 to move to 4 under for the week, and five shots off the lead. A few minutes later he stalked a 10-footer for birdie on the 14th green with the par-5 15th hole looming.

“At 14 I had a look to go to 5 [under] and make birdie at 15, go to 6 [under] and all of a sudden I’m three back,” Woods explained.

It could have played out that way. There was a time when it almost always played out that way, or at least that’s the way we remember things. But it didn’t. Woods missed the 10-footer at No. 14 and made an amazing mess of the 15th hole.

After finding the fairway at the 15th Woods’ second shot sailed wildly left. A pair of poorly executed chips and a missed 5-footer later he stomped to the 16th tee a touchdown off the lead following a double-bogey 7.

“A round that could have flipped and gone in a positive way didn’t do that because of what I did on 15,” Woods shrugged.

There was frustration. There was even some colorful language. But somewhere deep down inside Woods’ competitive soul he was focused on the bigger picture.

Tiger Woods finished his day at the Memorial at 2 under par and seven strokes off the lead in what has essentially become a U.S. Open tune-up.

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Sure, a sixth victory at Jack’s Place would register with the closet historian. Tying Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour victories at Jack Nicklaus’ tournament? That’s the kind of anecdote you save for the grandkids. But this version of Tiger is increasingly less concerned about the week-to-week than he is the grand plan. Or maybe it would be the Grand Slam plan.

A forgettable week at the PGA Championship that ended with a missed cut simply isn’t in the plan. Maybe he wasn’t ready following the emotional highs of his Masters victory. Maybe he just wasn’t up for the grind. Whatever the reason, that major got away from him and at 43 years old with a fused back he doesn’t have the luxury of an “off” week. At least not when it comes to the majors.

He didn’t arrive at Muirfield Village thinking “tune-up,” at least not entirely. The same drive that delivered 81 Tour titles burns within him, but as things got away from him on Friday it would only make sense that his focus would drift to Pebble Beach and next month’s U.S. Open.

That carved fairway wood into the heart of the 18th fairway was exactly what he needed. It’s the kind of controlled shot that works well at courses like Muirfield Village and Pebble Beach, which is poised to play firm and fast for the national championship.

“It was all right,” Woods said of his even-par 72 on Day 2. “It wasn’t as sharp as I’d like it to be. I was hitting it flush, but just wasn’t hitting it close enough and wasn’t giving myself enough looks at birdie on these greens that are this soft.”

Put another way, his game is not where he wants it to be two weeks before the U.S. Open, but he still has two more rounds to continue the fine-tuning and shots like that fairway wood at No. 18 to keep him inspired. With apologies to Nicklaus and Co., for Woods, this is all about progress and Pebble Beach.