Feb 1, 2015 By Mike Dudurich for The 3 min read

This was not intended to be a column about Tiger Woods and it isn’t entirely.

But what’s happened this week in Phoenix deserves observation and comment.

Woods made his 2015 debut Thursday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, an event scheduled to end within an hour of the start of the Super Bowl, which will be played on the other side of Phoenix.

Let’s just say what Woods accomplished in 36 holes at the TPC of Scottsdale was enough to make a 16-handicap blush.

Like every other 16-handicapper, my short game is about as consistent as officiating in an NHL game. But Woods was unbelievably bad and seemed incomprehensible for a guy who ruled the game for a decade and won five times in 2013.

He’s been through severe back pain, a microdiscectomy, considerable rehab and a change in swing coaches since 2013. And, when he played in the event he hosts, the Hero Challenge, his short game was horrid and in his words, he proceeded to hit thousands of chips and pitches in anticipation of this week.

Woods’ ineptitude was startling and painful to watch. It’s obvious he has the yips, both physically and mentally. He’s not the first professional athlete to be afflicted with those. Remember Ian Baker Finch, the Australian golfer who won the British Open and then got the yips with his driver so bad that he couldn’t hit the first fairway at the Old Course at St. Andrews. That fairway happens to be 100 yards wide.

Or Steve Blass, the Pirates’ pitcher who suddenly couldn’t find home plate from the mound.

This is not to say the maladies of Woods’ short game are permanent. He’ll figure it out. How well will he do that? Who knows, but I think this is just another indication of Woods and what his future might be.

He shot an 82 Friday, recovering from an opening-nine 44 to shoot 38 on the back.

Perhaps worse than Woods’ display is what’s going to follow it: a constant barrage of criticism and analysis of the problem and how to fix it.

The Phoenix Open is a great event, one that will provide plenty of fireworks before the opening kickoff Sunday night. But you can bet we’re going to hear plenty about Tiger’s disastrous outing through today’s telecast.

Woods did offer perhaps the best line of the week at his pre-tournament press conference when he was in the process of explaining of losing a tooth at a Lindsey Vonn ski race. He wore a ski mask to blend in with the crowd. “There’s not a lot of brown dudes at ski races.”

n The golf world lost one of its great champions this week, Kel Nagle. He was one of the great golfers of Australia, winning 81 professional titles, including at least one every year between 1949-75.

One of his most famous wins was the 1960 Open championship when he beat Arnold Palmer by a shot at St. Andrews. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.

Kagle was 94.

n If you’re a fan of LPGA star Michelle Wie, you’ll get a chance to see her on TV doing something other than swinging a golf club. She’s going to guest star on Hawaii Five-O on Friday, Feb. 20 as herself. The show airs between 9-10 p.m. on CBS.

n Do you have an interesting story about your club or course or an individual who has done something special, let me know. Send your story ideas to mike.dudurich@gmail.com.