For Tiger, 36 more holes a good start
— -- AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jimmy Walker leaned against a wall in the nearly deserted Augusta National locker room, a soft-drink bottle in one hand and a cold chicken sandwich in the other. He had just ground his way, bad wrist ligament and all, through an even-par round on Friday and was relaxing a few minutes before heading to the practice range.
Walker isn't likely to win this week's Masters -- he's 15 shots behind 36-hole leader Jordan Spieth. Nor will Walker's playing partner, who just happened to be Tiger Woods.
"Golf needs him," said Walker, ranked No. 10 in the world -- 101 spots ahead of Woods. "It was fun to see him get into it. I was glad to see him wanting it."
For the first time in seemingly forever -- but, really, since late 2013 -- Woods is beginning ... just beginning, mind you, to resemble the Tiger Woods we once knew.
He shot a 3-under-par 69 Friday to put him at 2 under for the tournament and comfortably into the weekend field. Woods making the cut, especially at Augusta National, would be a no-brainer in most years. But this isn't any year, and this isn't any Woods.
This version of Woods is a golf work in progress, the key word being " progress." He was better Thursday than when we last saw him in early February, as he staggered off the course after an 11-hole WD at Torrey Pines. And he was better Friday than he was Thursday, when Woods sprayed assorted drives and fairway woods like he was blindfolded.
But he's made the Masters cut and, slowly, is making believers. No. 1 on the list is Woods himself.
"Well, very proud of what I've done, to be able to dig it out the way I have," said Woods. "... I told you guys on Tuesday I was at a pretty low one in my career, but to basically change an entire pattern like that and put it together, and put it in a position where I can compete in a major championship like this is something I'm very proud."
This is still baby-steps territory for Woods. His game is gradually building muscle tone, but no one expects him to make a serious run at Spieth. Too many rust flakes on Woods' swing. Too many strokes to overcome.
But if you believe in statistics, then Woods is trending the right way. He hit 14 greens in regulation on Friday, compared to 11 on Thursday. His driving distance was longer. He had zero 3-putts on Friday and only one for the first two rounds.
Most of all, Woods is here for Saturday and Sunday -- something more than a few people predicted wouldn't happen.
"I would like to be sitting here at 8 or 9 under, but I'll take this," said Woods' caddie Joe LaCava. "You got to cut him a little slack. People think he's back at Augusta and he's automatically top 10. ... It's going to take time."
Woods had his shaky moments Friday, but they rarely involved his short game -- the topic of so much pre-Masters hand-wringing. There's no way around it: Back in January and February, Woods' chipping and pitching could have qualified for federal relief funds. But not now.
"The media really blew up the whole short-game stuff," said Walker. "If anything, it saved him [this week]."
Walker said he noticed something else about Woods during these first two rounds: the return of the Tiger fist pump. It happened after a birdie on No. 7 and after par saves at No. 14 and No. 17.
"It was fun to see him like that," Walker said.
Whether you root for him or against him, Woods still matters to golf. Seeing him in red numbers is better than seeing him slamming a courtesy car trunk after a WD.
"Listen, I see more of the old Tiger Woods, in my opinion," said Mark O'Meara, who has known Woods for years.
This is true. After his round Friday, Woods was asked about where he might be in the tournament if he had made a few more putts. He couldn't help himself.
"I'd be right there," Woods said. "And I'm still right there. I'm 12 back, but there's not a lot of guys ahead of me. And with 36 holes here to go, anything can happen, you know."
Woods was referring to the 1996 Sunday Masters collapse of Greg Norman. Nick Faldo began that day 6 shots behind the leader Norman, but finished it 5 ahead.
Spieth doesn't have the golf scar tissue Norman had. And right now, Woods isn't Faldo.
But you have to like the way Woods is thinking these days. Just another baby step on the cart path to recovery.