Golf Writer: Tiger Just Quit

Scott Michaux has been covering golf for a long time for the Augusta Chronicle. That means he has been covering Tiger Woods for a long time as well. He was at Quail Hollow on Friday when Tiger Woods' golf game came crashing down on him as he crawled home with a worst-ever professional round of 79. Michaux was at the Nationwide Tour's Stadion Athens Classic at UGA on Sunday. I asked him what he saw in Tiger's game on Friday, and he had a simple answer.

"He just quit."

I QUIT?!: Tiger Woods reacts to a bunker shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship at the Quail Hollow Club on April 30, 2010 in Charlotte North Carolina. Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images

"I have never seen Tiger do this," said Michaux. "No matter how he poorly has played in the past, he was always grinding to the end. On Friday, he just gave up."

Michaux said he sensed it on the 14th hole. He was more surprised by this than the bad round though.

"This was a round that should have happened at Augusta, " Michaux continued. "Somehow he was able to get through there unscathed. But I think with the latest revelations that came out shortly before the tournament, there was no way his head could be in the game."

Steven Umphlett of We're Talking Golf had a similar observation on Saturday as well.

"I followed him for awhile," said Umphlett. "The biggest thing that stuck out at me is that without a doubt, the aura is gone. And I don't know if he will ever get it back."