Ian Baker-Finch: Tiger Woods has a ‘fear’ issue

Ian Baker-Finch believes he knows what is wrong with Tiger Woods, and it is not a matter of having the “yips.” No, Baker-Finch, who won the 1991 Open Championship, believes Tiger has a fear issue.

Speaking on SEN Radio in Australia, Baker-Finch was asked about Tiger’s inability to take his game from the practice range to the course and offered an explanation.

“I would hit 50 perfect drives on the range, and snap-hook it off the first tee,” Baker-Finch said. “[Woods] does exactly the same thing. At the first tee at Augusta every year he’s so nervous he hits it 100 yards off line, and he’s just hit 50 perfect drives on the range. You can’t tell me that that’s a bad back, or a swing flaw. It’s totally mental. It’s a fear.

“And it’s not the yips. It’s not a spasm. … It’s a fear.”

Baker-Finch also thinks Tiger is trying to be too perfect.

“I would love Tiger to just go play golf every day and stay away from the machines and the mechanics and the trying to be perfect,” Baker-Finch said. “I’d like to just see him go play and shoot a score every day and enjoy golf again and maybe even learn to play again, if that’s the right terminology. I think he’s forgotten how to play golf. I think he’s trying to play with a perfect swing every day, every time.”

Woods, who withdrew from his last event and missed the cut after shooting a career-worst 82 at Phoenix, announced Wednesday he is taking some time off to improve his game. It sounds like Baker-Finch’s theory of do less and don’t try as hard is not what Woods is following.

H/T Golf Channel