Olympia Fields (Illinois), June 15: The word came from someone else's lips, and Tiger Woods was not in the mood to hear it. He had just shot himself out of the US Open, but this was not a time to be asking about a slump.

A day that began on an unnerving note was ending with the kind of questions Woods isn't used to answering.

For the second straight major, he had gotten into contention only to shoot a fat 75. For the first time since winning the PGA championship in 1999, he faced the very real possibility of not having even one major championship to defend.

Woods himself was partly to blame because he raised the expectations by once holding all four major titles simultaneously. He was a heavy favourite to win his second open alongside the train tracks in this suburb of Chicago.

Now, barring a comeback that would be miraculous even by Tiger standards, Woods finds himself having to explain why his game has suddenly gone from awfully good to awfully average.

It's not a position he's used to. It's certainly not one he enjoys.

"It's really hard for me to answer that right now," Woods said.

Bureau Report