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Every week of the 2009 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors.
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Welcome back to the champions of hindsight, the weekly PGA Tour Confidential gang. The Players didn't go as expected all week, from Alex Cejka, who escaped Czechoslovakia when he was 9 and squandered a five-shot lead on Sunday; to Tiger Woods, who played one of his worst-looking final rounds; to Henrik Stenson, who put up the only bogey-free finale. Was it a good tournament and an exciting week, or did the Stadium Course make the world's best players look like a bunch of chumps on the weekend when no one but Stenson could handle the firm and fast greens? (Two demerits for the first guy who calls this the fifth major, by the way.)
Jim Herre, editor, Sports Illustrated Golf Plus: Good question for Tiger from Maltbie at the end of Sunday's broadcast. Tiger, are you feeling lost?
Damon Hack, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: This reminds me a little of 2003-2004, when Tiger was changing his swing and was in the wilderness. He needs more reps, more trust, more everything. He can't miss the ball at the U.S. Open at Bethpage the way he was missing it here. If he does, it could be a short week.
Ryan Reiterman, producer, Golf.com: It's amazing that when Tiger comes out and wins, everyone says he's back. Now he has some so-so events, still finishes in the top 10, yet he's lost?
Dick Friedman, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: Well, the other night Mariano Rivera coughed up two dingers to the Rays. It's just natural, when someone has been so omnipotent (especially in closing things out), that people will wonder why — and what it means.
Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated Golf Plus: On the front nine, Tiger was terrible and couldn't fix it. There's no way to watch that and not wonder what's up.
Van Sickle: Nothing against Stenson, who played phenomenally, but the story of the day seemed to be Tiger. He played awful from the start, almost shanking a wedge into the first green, blowing his layup shot into the water at 2, missing the fairway at 4. Today, 73 was about the best he could have shot. Anyone who thinks his swing is fine or even close should check out this round. Tiger is in need of more than fine tuning.
Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Tiger's has put an ungodly amount of pressure on himself, and we've bought the whole thing: if you're not getting better you're getting worse; second is losing; third is losing to the loser, etc. Our expectations, courtesy of his career, are laughably unrealistic. Tiger as a human golfer? I've wanted this for years. Makes golf way more interesting when we don't know the outcome ahead of time.
Hack: I walked with Tiger a number of times this week. I have no idea how he finished solo eighth where he was hitting the ball. Pine needles, tree limbs, water, sand, you name it, Tiger was a frequent visitor there this week.
Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: For our U.S. Open preview cover, we should have a picture of Tiger with a big question mark superimposed over the picture. That tells the whole story.
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: The problem is, Tiger will probably win the Open, requiring an exclamation point.
Van Sickle: Take it a step further and get a logo from the TV show "Lost," showing the whole island. Tiger is lost. Where was Phil this week? Sergio Garcia is lost. Retief Goosen looked lost on Sunday. Ernie Els, wherefore art thou? Vijay Singh. Padraig Harrington, whatever happened to you? We've got an island full of lost players. Maybe the wins by Stenson and good showings by Poulter and others are evidence of a new world order in golf. I doubt it, but the phrase "new world order" makes my sentence sound important.
Gorant: That seems like it's been under way since the collapse of the Big 5, but who the next group will be isn't clear. Sergio, Adam Scott, even Geoff Ogilvy haven't really grabbed the mantle yet. Hence the Rory/Ryo/Danny Lee hype.
Herre: I think Vans is onto to something with his New Order. Obviously it's too early to write off Tiger, but you have to wonder about guys like Goosen, Els, Singh, etc.
Friedman: Will more events like this turn off the casual fan who doesn't want to see guys like Stenson and Poulter coming down the stretch?
Shipnuck: No doubt. You could hear TVs clicking off across the country every time Stenson birdied.
David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: You mean general sports fans and NBC weren't rooting for a Brian Davis-Henrik Stenson thriller on the back nine?
Bamberger: Alan: In Twitter-like fashion, tell us what this winner Stenson is really like.
Shipnuck: Great guy, funny, self-deprecating, nice perspective having survived a massive slump in the early 21st century. Don't know anybody who doesn't like him. (Per Tweet-ese, note the lack of complete sentences.)
