FanHouse The Players Championship

News on Tiger Woods has been fairly spotty since we last saw him "struggle" to an eighth place finish at The Players Championship. Since the Accenture Match Play, Tiger hasn't finished out of the top-10 in four straight tournaments, including a win at Bay Hill. After a three-week break, Tiger announced he will be playing The Memorial next week.

Alright, without looking, tell me this ... when was the last time Tiger Woods finished out of the top-10? Come on, I know you're thinking it's been some tournament this year. The guy's drive is as consistent as a Fremont Street buffet, so he has to have some nasty finishes, right?

Well, not really. As far as stroke play events go, Tiger hasn't finished out of the top-10 since the British Open in 2007. That is nearly two years. Two years! Now, I'm not oblivious to Tiger's struggles, but I think the barrage of hate on him right now is a little unwarranted.

As is the case in virtually every tournament he plays, the story line heading into Sunday's round of the Players Championship was Tiger Woods. He had worked his way into the final group, but started the day five shots back of playing partner Alex Cejka, the unlikeliest 54-hole leader. Cejka entered the week ranked 267th in the world, and, at 38, was still in search of his first PGA victory.

But as Woods and Cejka were hacking their way around the front nine -- Tiger needed 38 strokes going out; Alex needed 42 -- Henrik Stenson was putting on a golfing clinic.

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It is really hard for Tiger Woods to do anything without garnishing the utmost attention. Anything he does off the course is newsworthy and we treat it like a presidential move. What is so interesting about this week at the Players Championship is Tiger is doing what made him famous, only we're too busy complaining about all that he is doing wrong and not focusing on what he's doing right.

On Saturday at TPC Sawgrass, Woods had a camera on his every swing, and while critics were complaining about his driver (Guilty party number one -- I actually tweeted during his round, "When was the last time Tiger didn't block a tee shot right, the Mike Douglas Show?"), we were forgetting to pay attention to the more important thing ... his golf.

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Working as a golf writer online, there are basically two rules you should know. First, anything Tiger Woods does is worth posting. Second, if isn't about Tiger, you damn well better mention the guy, because page views feed the kids, and Tiger equals page views.

The interesting part about that is, people get upset about it. "Why are you talking about Tiger?!" "Why not mention the leaders?"

As a golf fan first and writer second, I find myself reacting that same way to the television coverage. As I'm viewing the Players Championship right now, Tiger is seven shots back of the leader, Alex Cejka, yet we have seen every single swing Tiger has made. At that same time, I haven't seen but a handful of Ian Poulter shots, and he sits in second place alone.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Typical Phil Mickelson. Does that mean anything? He can do anything, and sometimes does. Until you're counting on him, and need him. And then he doesn't.

So his second round at the Players Championship Friday was typical in that a lot was riding on him -- including a shot at the No. 1 ranking.

And he flopped. Again.

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On Thursday, FanHouse columnist Greg Couch put together a piece from TPC Sawgrass about how the PGA Tour has been 100 percent clean so far with its drug testing. The elephant in the room about drug testing was that Tim Finchem started it because Tiger Woods (and others) had ballooned and golf, just like other sports, didn't want to deal with what baseball dealt with.

Well, Tiger admitted that he's been tested twice since the PGA Tour started testing last July, and came up negative both times, including one time where he had to test when he wasn't even playing in the tournament.

TPC Sawgrass is supposed to be brutal. It's supposed to be nasty. For heaven's sake, it's supposed to be the fifth major! Well, unless the fairways and greens are soft and the wind doesn't blow.

Ben Crane, who started on the back nine in the first round of the Players Championship, turned at 3-under 33, but went on a tear from there, making five birdies in six holes on his way to a 7-under 65 and the first-round lead. Crane, who hasn't won on tour since 2005, noted after his round that the greens were perfect, "like putting on the hood of your car," and the low scores the first day indicated that.

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Tiger Woods has played in The Players Championship 12 times, and has never broken 70 in any of his first rounds. On a calm Thursday that gave up some very red numbers, Woods continued his trend of taking a mild approach, carding a 1-under 71 on an up-and-down day.

Woods' round was highlighted with an approach shot on the par-5 16th hole that ended up three feet away for a kick-in eagle. Tiger followed that up with a solid 9-iron on the 17th hole's island green to just outside 10 feet, but a nasty horseshoe left Woods with just another par.

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Some jokes are just for fun, and some come with a little cutting truth.

Someone told Phil Mickelson the other day that it was hard not to notice that at the Masters, he was hitting farther off the tee, off every tee, than Tiger Woods.

Did Mickelson notice?

"I kept having to wait for him to hit, sure,'' Mickelson said, laughing.

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