Tiger Woods plays PGA practice round, pandemonium ensues

Tiger Woods, as anyone tuned into Golf Channel’s live coverage of a usually ho-hum Wednesday afternoon of practice rounds can attest, tends to attract attention.

It may seem an eternity but it really wasn’t that long ago that the former world No. 1 made headlines by tying his opponents into knots on his way to the winner’s circle. Now, the aging superstar with the balky back sparks pandemonium by tying his shoe laces on the way from his courtesy car to the practice range.

Woods, whose plans for this week remained a well-guarded secret after he withdrew from last week’s Firestone tilt with spasms in his surgically repaired back, also has something of a flair for the dramatic. Combine that with his crowd-assembling abilities and the will-he/won’t-he-show-up theater of the absurd that built into a media frenzy that was surreal, even by Tiger standards, and you get the three-ring circus that came to town as Woods arrived for a warmup session ahead of his scheduled Thursday PGA Championship tee time.

It would be easy enough to blame the mayhem that ensued on the media, which went all OJ in tracking Woods’ arrival in a Bronco-like silver SUV after camping out at his empty parking spot awaiting The Return of Tiger. The mobs of fans crammed Tiger-deep along the ropes to catch a glimpse of the 14-time major champion tee off in an afternoon practice session, however, argued otherwise.

“Look at this scene,” Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman gushed about the bizarre spectacle on display at the venue where Woods won the 2000 PGA. “This is why we do what we do ... A living legend in motion, struggling with a bad back. Will he catch Jack [Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles], will he pass Jack, will he win another major?”

The latest chapter in the Saga of Tiger Woods unfolded slowly after he pulled out midway through the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational -- just his 10th competitive round since his March 31 operation. In what appeared to be an exercise in futility, Woods’ caddie Joe LaCava scouted the course earlier in the week for his ailing boss, who underwent treatment after jarring his sacrum out of joint and pinching a nerve, while manager Mark Steinberg issued noncommittal, “it’s too early” comments.

With unending speculation growing about what the future held for Woods, the possibility of a Tiger sighting gained momentum after the PGA of America confirmed Tuesday night that the missing player had applied for an extension to the registration deadline. Wednesday, things got completely out of control when tourney organizers said Woods was on-site — a statement they had to backtrack on since his parking spot remained bare.

Media members were so engrossed in Woods’ imminent arrival that they paid scant attention to the several notable golfers walking by and gawking at the mob scene. You know things are out of whack when a Golf Channel camera happens to record reigning British Open champion Rory McIlroy, claret jug in hand, heading to his car unimpeded and virtually unnoticed.

When Woods finally did pull in, driving himself, we saw him do things that until last Sunday were unremarkable even for Tiger. He emerged from the car, changed his shoes, and, with nary a stretch or a limbering exercise, repaired to the driving range about 30 minutes before his hastily scheduled 2 p.m. practice round.

“I knew when Joe LaCava said, ‘Don’t tell anybody we’re going to play,’ I knew what was coming,” Davis Love III, a member of Tiger’s practice foursome along with Steve Stricker and Harris English, told Golf Channel after the session. “It’s exciting that he’s here, that he’s playing, that he’s feeling better. I knew it would be a big story.”

For sure, even DL3 could not have foreseen just how huge a happening this mid-week afternoon practice round would be, but the captain of Woods’ 2012 Ryder Cup team has been to this rodeo before.

“I like to play with Tiger as much as I can,” Love said. “That way, you’re in the circus.”

Woods, who’s been stuck on 14 major wins since 2008 and stalled in his chase of Nicklaus’ mark of 18, may be on the back nine. The Tiger Era may be over as the Age of Rory ascends and the winner of 79 PGA Tour events may never lift another trophy.

But CBS Sports chair Sean McManus, who proclaimed McIlroy the “most marketable” player in the game during a teleconference earlier this week may want to reconsider his network’s packaging of this week’s tournament.

As for what we may expect from Woods when the curtain goes up on his 8:35 a.m. ET show time with Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington Thursday morning, the goal was the same.

“Just play well,” Woods told reporters before hitting the links on Wednesday. “That’s the only thing I can control. Try to go out there and win this event. That’s all I’m focused on.”

Love concurred that Tiger was -- as always -- in it to win it.

“I didn’t see any issues at all,” Love said. “When you watch him swing, watch him walk ... he looked like 100 percent to me and he hit the ball a long way.”