Woods should take lessons from Faldo

Tiger Woods righted a ship in danger of sinking yesterday during the Golf Channel's coverage of the Memorial Tournament. After stumbling out of the gate and going 2 over through six holes, he did what he does better than anyone who has ever played the game: He put up a decent score despite not having his swing helping the effort.

Through sure will, great sand play and a solid putting performance, Woods managed to shoot a par 72 in the first round that left him seven shots off the pace but in position to play this weekend if he can get in red numbers today.

His bogey on the first hole was simply a case of hitting his second shot over the green on the par 4 and not being able to scramble for a par. His bogey on the sixth hole came only after he sank a clutch 15-foot putt. It was at that point that it looked like Woods might not be around for the weekend. He hit a poor tee shot on No. 4, a terrible pulled second shot on No. 5 and an awful tee shot on No. 6, which led to his near miraculous bogey after he had the bad luck of having his second shot hit a sprinkler head and bounce through the green.

After losing a drive right on No. 7, Woods gathered his forces and stopped the bleeding. With back-to-back birdies on Nos. 9 and 10. He got back to even and then proceeded to string together pars the rest of the way into the clubhouse. The round included fantastic bunker shots on Nos. 10 and 18, a solid iron shot on No. 12 and a creative lag chip/putt on No. 17 from the edge of the fringe. Still, anyone watching the action would have to say all is not right with Woods these days even if he seemed to be in denial, as usual, after the round.

It was the first time since 2004 that Woods failed to break par at the Memorial, which he has won four times. Still, afterward, he said all he had to do to get back into contention was to play the par 5s better. That will mean he'll have to start driving the ball straighter.

During a stretch from the fourth hole through the seventh hole, tournament host Jack Nicklaus joined Golf Channel broadcasters Nick Faldo and Kelly Tilghman in following the action. As they watched Woods struggle it was interesting to hear Nicklaus say Woods' swing faults could probably be fixed in 10 minutes with the right instruction.

After Woods hit his drive into a bunker on the 10th hole, Faldo said he expected to see Woods hit a good shot because long shots from bunkers demand a level swing. Faldo was right with his call. Woods hit a great shot from the bunker to set up a 12-foot birdie putt. Then Faldo and TV analyst Gary McCord suggested that Woods' problems off the tee were the result of him trying to do too much and moving his head up and down too much during his swing.

Woods hit another solid shot from a fairway bunker on No. 13, where again it was pointed out that when he's in a trap he keeps his swing more simple and level. It was suggested that such a tact in his swings sans the beach might prove beneficial. Woods' spectacular fairway bunker shot on No. 18 seemed to further cement that point.

Oldgolfdawg hopes Woods records telecasts of his play in tournaments and listens to analysts like Faldo who know what they are talking about. It's hard to watch Woods struggle with his swing when as Nicklaus suggested it could probably be fixed in 10 minutes.

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It was fun to watch PGA Tour rookie Rickie Fowler grab a share of the lead with his 7-under-par 65 during yesterday's TV coverage. The former standout at Oklahoma State is having a solid season and once again showed why many expect great things out of him.

It was noteworthy to see him pour in several clutch par putts, and his 25-footer for birdie on the final hole was a thing of beauty. Ironically, putting hasn't been his strength this season. He ranked 143rd in putting coming into the tournament, averaging 29.56 putts a round while the tour average is 29.14. Yesterday he needed 24 putts to make a loop at Muirfield, tied for first in that category. Apparently he likes the fast greens that remained that way despite a drenching the course received on the eve of the tournament. After his round, in an interview with the Golf Channel's Rich Lerner, Fowler sounded confident but not overly cocky. If his putting continues to improve, his ball-striking ability will no doubt make him a force to contend with in the future.

Information from Golf.com contributed to his post.