Tiger Woods came to Bethpage Black yesterday believing if he put together a magical round he might be able to win The Barclays. So did Phil Mickelson. Instead, two of golf’s reigning superstars played uninspiring rounds, leaving anyone who watched their performances with the impression their best golf is behind them.
It certainly is as far as Bethpage Black is concerned. Both players are deeply entwined in the elevation of the public course from an area treasure to national folklore. Thanks in part to Mickelson and Woods it is hallowed ground now. And for that the Black will forever be grateful.
Woods won the 2002 U.S. Open here in a sterling performance in which he was the only player to shoot under par for the entire tournament. The event was such a success, the USGA returned in 2009, when Mickelson was bathed in adulation for being golf’s good guy in the wake of his wife Amy being diagnosed with breast cancer. He finished second at both U.S. Opens and delighted the crowd with imaginative shot-making.
Those are memories that can never be erased. But they were sullied a bit yesterday in what likely was the last meaningful competitive round Woods and Mickelson will play at the Black.
What’s now fresh in our memories is Woods looking frustrated and eventually disinterested while shooting a 5-over-par 76. He posted a scorecard that included six bogeys and one double-bogey. Knowing he had no chance to win, he played the back nine in 40.
Standing at 4-under when he started the day, Woods finished 1-over-par for the tournament, tied for 38th. He reached just 6 of 18 greens in regulation after landing in just 6 of 14 fairways. It was another weekend meltdown, the likes of which we’re starting to see far too consistently from Woods.
Afterwards, he refused to discuss what happened, declining repeated interview requests by the television and print media. In essence, Woods didn’t bother to say goodbye or riddance to the Black. He left in a huff.
Mickelson was just as disappointing. He also stumbled to a 5-over 76. He had seven bogeys on a day when he changed his putting grip to a version of the claw. Mickelson also left Bethpage Black without agreeing to a formal interview. He’s been doing a lot of that lately.
Bethpage Black will host its next PGA Tour event when The Barclays returns in 2016. Woods will be 40 and Mickelson will be 46, and I doubt either will be favored to win it then.
With the health issues Woods continues to deal with, who knows what condition his body will be in? Mickelson hasn’t played well since winning the AT&T at Pebble Beach earlier this year and doesn’t figure to be a better player four years from now.
What quietly passed yesterday as Nick Watney overtook Sergio Garcia to win was the end of an era at Bethpage Black, the era of Woods and Mickelson as the kings of the People’s Course.
This was their last chance to provide a special memory to dazzle the crowds as they did in 2002, when Woods used his youth and strength to beat the Black and Mickelson made a 25-foot putt on the 17th green on Saturday that triggered a roar that could be heard in Manhattan. Lucas Glover may have won the 2009 U.S. Open, but the Black still belonged to Tiger and Phil.
The Bethpage crowds tried to cheer them on this weekend, too, and there was a moment Saturday when Woods was at 6-under and poised to make a move. But it was a downhill slide from there — all the way out of the parking lot without comment.
It was Watney who owned the Black yesterday. The Tiger-Phil era at the People’s Course is just memories.
george.willis@nypost.com