Woods can't hide the truth anymore

"I COULDN'T activate my glutes." No, but Tiger Woods can still activate social media, as he did to merciless effect with his explanation of his latest withdrawal.

Yet through all the wise-cracking, all the gloating about those glutes, there was an important issue missed, beyond a joke for anyone who has marvelled at this once-in-a-generation talent. Is it the end for Woods?

Of course he will carry on for some time. Woods is head-strong, fantastically belligerent, does not like being wrong and is unlikely to walk away from the game before he is 40.

But it is fair to ask whether he will be a credible challenger to the top seat again, to the top table even, and if so, when and in what guise?

These questions and more flashed when he shook hands with Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel at the 12th hole of the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Thursday. The venue extenuated the doubts. In 2008 Woods hobbled from the San Diego course nursing a blown knee, a fractured shin, but still with the US Open trophy in his arms. He was Superman back then; not even the fragility of the human body could stop him.

Yet seven major-less years on, the grip of Father Time has him by the scruff. This time he hobbled away carrying only pain and uncertainty; baggage which has become way too familiar in a torrid year.

His friends are concerned. Notah Begay, the former PGA Tour pro who roomed with Woods in college, fixed him up with his new coach, Chris Como. One of the main reasons is because Como is a biomechanics expert, a coach with an emphasis on protecting the body's stress points from the wholly unnatural process of a golf swing.

Well, 47 holes into the new season and the body is stressed and not working. Woods was two over at the time of his exit. He was playing awfully and it was hard to tell whether the grimaces were from discomfort or disgust. Looking on as an analyst for the Golf Channel, Begay was bemused.

"It begs some very, very difficult questions in terms of how he is going to approach his game at this point," Begay said. "In his last eight tournaments he has more missed cuts and withdrawals than finished events, much less getting into contention."

Nick Faldo warns about the necessities: "Physically he has to get this right again. He has to go back to the drawing board on the swing. He has to find a way to swing a golf club - especially the driver - where the spine is not putting so much tension and torque on it. " - © The Daily Telegraph, London