Say this for Tiger...

...even when he isn't at the top of his game, he's still the most exciting player in golf.

Fairways and greens is monotonous, and there have been times in his career when Woods methodically destroyed the competition. But when he's misfiring, his brilliance still shines through, as playing partner Alex Cejka witnessed in the final round of the Players Championship on Sunday.

"I don't know what he shot, one-over?" Alex Cejka said. "I mean, it should have been five-over the way he kind of played. But he's a grinder, you know. But he didn't really strike the ball well at all."

It's evident that Woods is still searching for his form, yet in five stroke-play events this year he has finished tied for ninth, first, tie for sixth, fourth and eighth -- the equivalent of a career year for many players. It is a testament to his ability to mitigate the damage done from errant shots, surely the best in golf history, and entertaining in its own right, to wit the left-handed shot he has in his repertoire, as he demonstrated at the Players.

-- John Strege