But this is 2012, not 2000, and within 40 minutes, Woods had bogeyed two of his first three holes. Another hour later, it was four of his first eight and he was moving the entirely wrong direction on "moving day," bringing a veritable Who's Who of golf into a tournament that had been all his to wrap up and win.
The final ignominy came on 18, when, chipping from a gnarly lie off the green, he stubbed his wedge, sending the ball squirting out sideways, leading to one last, miserable bogey and a 5-over 75, dropping him completely off the big leaderboard in the media center. Tiger had done the impossible: plummeted from a tie for first to a tie for 14th, and while anything's possible, he would have to pass an impressive group of veteran players, including three major champions, if he is to win here.
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What happened to Woods on Saturday was unimaginable Friday night, when he talked in superlatives about his game and sounded as if he had finally and completely turned himself around after his 2009 scandal and all the injuries that followed. So what changed? All the fairways he hit the first two days? His luck ran out there, and he was often playing from the rough Saturday. And his putting was nowhere near as sharp as it had been in the first two rounds. Almost everything he hit came up short.
Nonetheless, Woods said, "I was still doing the same thing, I just didn't make the pars. … I was just missing (fairways) by just a few yards and that was enough. … I kept leaving myself in tough spots. I didn't really have that many birdie putts today and they were all lag putting. That or these breaking putts. I didn't have very many good looks. It's just frustrating when I know I can put myself in position to have a few good looks, at least a few more, and I got to bury those. And I probably only had a couple of them all day."
Tiger still was Tiger, matter-of-fact and unwilling or unable to admit that it had been a terrible day for him. Only eight of the 72 players in the field shot a higher score than he did. When have we ever said that about Tiger in a crucial third round of a major?
Yet he insisted that his confidence still was strong and good.
"I wasn't very far off today," he said. "But on a golf course like this, it can do that to you."
He undid so much of what he had done the first two days, when he shot 69-70, leading some to say the tournament was over. Afterward, he had his reasons for the collapse.
"I struggled on the greens today, quite a bit," he said. "They looked quick, but they putted slow. But they were firmer than they were yesterday. So it was a tough, tough feel for me to adjust to and it was amazing how all day I kept getting a half club. Just one of those days where I was right in between clubs on about every single shot. I just never quite had the right number."
He could have all but closed out the tournament with a 67 or 66. The old Tiger would have been able to do that. But not this Tiger. Now, five U.S. Open champions are in the mix to win the title: co-leaders Furyk and Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Woods. How crazy of a day was it Saturday? Lee Westwood, 39, who has never won a major, started the day tied for 29th and four hours later, found himself tied for third after shooting a 3-under 67. When the dust settled at the end of the day, he was tied for fourth. Els went from 7 over to 2 over, joining Westwood and others at 2 over. None of them would have had a chance, though, had Woods not made the mistakes he made.
To add potential injury to insult, as Woods left the 18th green to climb a pedestrian bridge to the scorer's trailer, his right hand clipped a camera being held by a photographer. Twice he shook his hand, as if it was injured, but when asked about it later, he answered quickly: "I'm fine."
Within five minutes of finishing with the media, Woods was in the one place he most belonged: on the putting green, practicing short putts.
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