n Jan 31 10:54pm EST

Follow Shane Bacon on Twitter at @shanebacon
Tiger Woods has been known for a lot of things over his career, but giving up at a golf event has never been one of them ... until now.
PGA Tour rookie Brendan Steele, who earned status this season with the big boys after finishing sixth on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2010, was paired with Tiger on Sunday at Torrey Pines, where Woods closed with a 75 to Steele's 70.
After the round, Steele told Sports Illustrated that he didn't think Tiger gave it 100 percent during the final round, a gutsy point to make about a guy that is known for holding grudges on certain players that go to the press about him.
"I don't think he gave it everything today," Steele told SI. "Once it started going in the wrong direction, I don’t think it had his full attention."
Of course Tiger would never admit to such an accusation. Most of his quotes after the round were about how his swing changes are still a process and that it will take some time to get comfortable.
It does seem like a strange thing to say about a guy that is infamous for grinding out bad rounds, even when they don't really matter. When Tiger has been near the cut line in the past, it seemed he'd focus even more so he'd be around for the weekend, even if that meant he was going to finish 30th or 40th.
Also, what a way to start your rookie season. Steele, who missed the cut at both the Sony Open and Bob Hope Classic, played well at Torrey Pines, and would be heading into the Waste Management with some confidence, but now all the questions directed at him will be about Tiger, and if he really was tossing in the towel. It does show, however, that Steele has Pro-V1s of, well, steel to be saying such a thing about Tiger.
I will say this about the accusation; 18 months ago, nobody would have ever said this about Woods; just ask Vijay Singh's caddie and Stephen Ames. That seemed like a line you never wanted to cross, but now being on his bad side might not be nearly as detrimental.
| Comments (23) | |
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bradley894
2/2/2011 7:03:07 PM Tiger can only beat himself up for poor shots for so long. maybe he just got quiet and stopped making cry baby faces for the final turn? YA Think? folks jump him because he is dropping his club on his follow threw and banging it on the ground.. maybe the guy saw some tape of him playing crappy for the first time and found out what he looks like after a poor shot instead of the HIGHLIGHT REEL showing all fist pumps and club twirls... maybe he found out he looks like a spoiled child an awful lot on the saturday night golf channel highlights and tried to relax a bit on the drama.. kinda like when you hear your own voice on tape... do i realy sound like that? or Do that? or walk like that?... Maybe tiger just is growing up a bit. |
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OtterMan08
2/2/2011 6:45:55 PM You know he gave a fairly elaborate retraction/clarification in a post statement interview on The Golf Channel. Almost sounded convincing. |
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Marv8
2/2/2011 6:42:43 PM Anyone can say what they think but only Tiger knows if he gave 100%. How many times have we gone to the golf course and tried our best and didn't play well, I know I have |
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SH0E--TLAVAN
2/2/2011 10:16:51 AM I know that when I start a new season, along with my game getting back into a groove, it takes a few rounds for me to "stay in it" for the whole 18 holes. I didn't expect Tiger to have such issues. But just in case we get to play a round together sometime, I'm not sayin' a word. |
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earxtc
2/2/2011 9:52:58 AM LOL.... this is good stuff. |
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Duckhunter
2/2/2011 9:48:47 AM One great thing about golf. You should only talk about your rounds. |
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KeithBro
2/1/2011 8:59:01 PM Tiger is a slacker. |
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HOGAN418
2/1/2011 8:26:39 PM I'll say it too.. Tiger is a slacker right now... no majors this year and only 1 to 2 wins ... |
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Robert Premeaux Jr.
2/1/2011 8:07:54 PM What's the benefit of saying stupid S like that about ANYBODY? Steele will have to learn the hard way. |
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72Wannabe
2/1/2011 6:47:17 PM it's gonna get really ugly |
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DavidHagen
2/1/2011 6:27:40 PM WOW, no respect!!! |
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ShaunCrawford
2/1/2011 1:39:43 PM Tiger's clearly lost a lot of respect. Most of the younger players probably feel that at their respective points in their careers, that they are better than one of the all-time best. ::shrugs:: It happens to everyone... time robs everyone... |
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cogolfer1
2/1/2011 1:27:00 PM Tiger mailed it in after 63 holes. We all know he could care less about Top 10's or whatever except winning. When he realized he couldn't win he mailed it in. We shall see how Tiger responds. |
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Slicer_1
2/1/2011 1:19:26 PM Remember what happened last time someone called out Tiger... |
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ByeByeBirdie
2/1/2011 12:06:57 PM This isn't new to me. I think there were at least a couple times last year where Tiger seemed to lose interest in the round, possibly out of frustration due to his struggles. |
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