Is Tiger Woods Still The Zenyatta Of Golf?

When Zenyatta proved Saturday that she's the Tiger Woods of race horses, it was only natural to see Tiger to stop toying with the elite HSBC Champions field and put them away with one of his trademark rise-to-the-occasion finishes.

Befitting his frustrating 2009 season, he failed.

It's been easy to resist joining the growing chorus suggesting the Tiger Woods aura has disappeared after his no-win 2009 major championship run. And yes, we're talking about the HSBC Champions with cell phones going off, cameras clicking on backswings and at the end of a long year with the next major six months away. Not exactly an ideal barometer of Tiger's future. It's always been amazing how consistently he brings his best to even meaningless events.

However, the site of so many oddball shots combined with the mostly outstanding final day play--sans a Mickelson wedge whiff and an Els hybrid whiff--makes it reasonable to wonder if the Tiger-is-unbeatable-aura has ended?

Tim Rosaforte says no big deal, Tiger has a few kinks to work out and it all adds up to a potentially epic year in 2010:

Tiger will process all this and come out in 2010 a better player, because that is his creed. But this run by Mickelson is more than just a two-month hot streak while Tiger fights his putter and shakes off the final pieces of rust. This is enough of a competitive message that the 2010 season, with majors at Augusta, Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and Whistling Straits, could be epic, should Mickelson and Woods keep on their competitive tracks; and should Els build off his second-place finish in China, and not the 5-wood he fatted into the middle of the pond on the 72nd hole.

 But it was hard not to be struck by Peter Dixon's account of the final day and the on-course vibe:

 From the moment that Mickelson increased his lead with a birdie at the 3rd, things started to go downhill for Woods. The walk to the 4th tee provided a stark contrast. Woods kept his head down while Mickelson, smiling and nodding to the crowds, smacked hands as he went.

And then he slowed down to gather his thoughts. Following behind him was like walking with a boxer to the ring; he was going to make his challenger wait. This, after all, was psychological warfare as much as anything else — not a word was to pass between the two — and within four holes, Woods had gone.

Lorne Rubenstein noted that 2010 has the makings of a great year for Mickelson after his impressive win, but also observes:

Woods was barely off the course in the last round of the HSBC when he was looking forward, rather than backward, and that he just wanted to “get out of here.” Asked if there was anything wrong with his game, he said, “No, just one of those days.”

It was also one of those strange years. Very strange.

And as I knew they would, the SI gang had a few thoughts on the matter:

Shipnuck: Tiger will deservedly be player of the year in '09, but his shocking stumble out of the gate in Shanghai — ball in the water, flubbed chips, 4 over on the first 7 holes — is of a piece with his Sunday meltdown at the PGA, the missed putt on the last hole at Liberty National and the Sunday beatdown Phil administered at the Tour Championship. When it comes to Tiger, Phil has never felt this emboldened, and I'm guessing he's not alone.

And...

Morfit: You have to admit Tiger hasn't looked like Tiger lately. No majors in 2009 is not a huge deal, but the way Yang reeled him in at the PGA, the way he failed to make the big putt at Liberty, the way he backed into the FedEx Cup title, the way he took himself out of contention on the front nine at HSBC — uh, excuse me, my regular Tiger Woods has been replaced by Folgers crystals.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: The players are still in shock over the PGA, more in shock that Tiger didn't make that putt Sunday on 18 at the Barclays, and now this? It's a brand new day.