Career highs in the NBA Finals are great. Not so much in golf. That's why Tiger Woods' round of 13-over-par 85 on Saturday had so many golf fans scratching their collective heads wondering what's going on with the 14-time major champion.
Woods played four of his eight nine-hole stretches at 40 or worse at Muirfield Village Golf Club, a course where he owns five victories. So, where does Woods go from here?
Our expert panel weighs in for the latest edition of Four-Ball.
1. Was Tiger's 85 in Round 3 of the Memorial Tournament more aberration or cause for serious concern?
SportsCenter anchor Matt Barrie: It's a cause for serious concern, and it's his own fault. You don't get better by not playing in tournaments. He had momentum at Augusta, and we didn't see him again for a month. He put together some solid golf at the Players, then we didn't see him again until the Memorial. Commit to getting better and play. Until then, he'll be teeing off by himself at a tournament he's won five times.
SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman: I believe Tiger that it's part of the process. We have seen him go through bad periods before. It's not easy to watch, but in 2013 and even earlier this year, Tiger has shown flashes of brilliance. I don't have 14 majors, so I am not one to judge his game. All I know is that it is hard to watch.
ESPN.com senior golf analyst Michael Collins: If you're not seriously concerned for Tiger Woods right now, you are not a fan of his and never have been. Tiger looks exactly like every other pro who has lost his or her swing. The only difference is, no one was asking to talk with Padraig Harrington and David Duval a year after their swings had vanished. So they didn't have to come up with a bunch of smoke-screen answers to hide the fact that they were lost.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Bob Harig: It is cause for concern. It is looking more as if the good showing at the Masters was the aberration. Woods has failed to build on that promising performance but seems resigned to the lows that come with making a swing change. But it's hard to envision it all getting worked out in two weeks for the U.S. Open. Perhaps this will take longer than anticipated, which could mean a second straight lost year.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel: Aberration or not, that "ocho-cinco" was -- at best -- an exaggeration of one piece of a serious problem. Unlike in Phoenix, when he couldn't chip, or at Torrey Pines, when he says he was injured, there wasn't one specific issue this past week at the Memorial. He's not driving it well; he's not ball-striking well; he's not putting well. It's much more difficult to fix a multitude of maladies than just one.
2. What's the next step for Woods?
Barrie: See above.
Coachman: Tiger has to play. And not play his normal schedule. Three tournaments in a row, at least. Playing one and then a month off won't cut it. Tiger made it clear his summer is busy. Maybe for him, but not necessarily for a normal golfer. Tiger needs to feel competition often. But we know he doesn't listen to anyone when it comes to how much he is going to play.
Collins: Next step for what? He's never going to be world No. 1 again. He's not breaking Jack Nicklaus' record, and he'll be extremely lucky to win one more major in the next five years. He'll win golf tournaments again, but not like Vijay did in his 40s. Tiger will switch coaches again at some point. But the next step for Tiger should be watch "Analyze This" and "The Sopranos," then call a psychiatrist and spend some time on that sofa.
Harig: He said he is committed to the plan he and instructor Chris Como mapped out, and acknowledged that these recent pains are part of a bigger picture. Although Woods never acknowledged that wide view previously, he seems to be suggesting now that this will take some time. So, patience might be his best avenue at the moment. He's gone through this before, but is he willing to wait?
Sobel: This isn't some cure-all, but if I were advising him, the first thing I'd tell him to do would be to read and watch everything in the media about him right now. Check his Twitter mentions. Even some message boards. Woods famously insists that he never reads anything about himself, and maybe that's true. But he needs to now. Not for advice but to get him pissed off. He needs some motivation to help him play better, and tacking some stories to the proverbial bulletin board would be a great start.
3. David Lingmerth's Memorial win gets him a 3-year PGA Tour exemption but not a spot in the U.S. Open. Should the USGA change that?
Barrie: I think this story is great: Lingmerth wins a PGA event, and then has an early tee time the following Monday in a qualifier to earn a spot at the U.S. Open. Having said that, if he's good enough to hold off Justin Rose, he's good enough to play in the U.S. Open. So yes, the rule should change.
Coachman: If a win gets you in the Masters, it should absolutely get you a spot in the U.S. Open. It's just as big of a tournament with as much prestige. I don't know why a sectional qualifier should get in and a tour winner should not. If they want players who are playing well, make it tour winners from Jan. 1 to the week before the Open. But he needs to be in. You beat a U.S. Open champ in a playoff, you deserve to be in the field.
Collins: It's ridiculous to think Lingmerth just earned a spot in every major except the U.S. Open. It makes the USGA look very bad, and it has to fix this immediately. The objective is to have the best players playing their best. Forcing a guy who just won a big PGA Tour event to play a 36-hole qualifier seems like a punishment when he should be getting a reward.
Harig: Why should the Memorial be different from, say, the Arnold Palmer Invitational? Or a World Golf Championship event. They offer three-year exemptions, too, without a U.S. Open spot. Although I love the Masters' "win-and-you-are-in'' tournament perk, the USGA has a bit of a narrower gap, requiring world ranking or FedEx Cup success. And it still offers the chance to go through qualifying.
Sobel: Yeah, it should. After all, which "qualifier" is a better determination of whether a player should compete in your major -- winning a PGA Tour event or beating some non-tour pros on a non-tour venue? I love the romantic notion of leaving enough spots for the dreamers, but a guy who wins before the qualifier shouldn't still have to qualify.
4. Jordan Spieth posted his seventh top-5 finish in 2015. Is anyone playing better than he is heading into the U.S. Open?
Barrie: I said a week ago in Four-Ball that Spieth should be the favorite at the U.S. Open. The only other player that's been close is Justin Rose. Spieth has everything going right now and is a real threat to win another major this year.
Coachman: Spieth knew he needed a 67 to get anywhere close. He went two better. If I have to take one player, I can't go past Jordan. He plays great on any kind of course. And when he needs a low round, he is able to dig deep and deliver. He has a flair for the dramatic yet has patience when needed. Two things you have to have to win the Open. Can't wait.
Collins: No one is playing as good as Spieth. Funny thing is, Tuesday on the range at the Memorial, he was hitting balls next to Justin Thomas and was frustrated with his swing. Then Spieth hit two or three iron shots and said to his caddie, "there it is." And just like that it was right back on track. He should be the odds-on favorite going into the U.S. Open even though he'll still be ranked No. 2 in the world.
Harig: No. It's interesting how this works. Three weeks ago, Rory McIlroy was coming off of two victories in three tournaments while Spieth had cooled. Now McIlroy has cooled while Spieth has had two top-three finishes in the past three weeks. You'd be foolish to go against either of them, but Spieth has the hot hand at the moment.
Sobel: He's been the year's best player so far overall. One tweeter complained to me after the second of Spieth's chip-ins Sunday that he isn't that good, just really lucky. Breaking news, pal: Repeatedly chipping in (he owns 10 hole-outs already this year) and making clutch putts means you're good. Anyone who's ever played the game understands that luck doesn't strike that often.