So, things aren't going well for you on the golf course these days, eh? Well, join the crowd. We finally have something in common. If we can make assumptions based on body language, you're liking golf right now as much as Red Sox fans enjoy hanging with Yankees fans. Trouble is, you've selected the game as your job, with cameras, microphones, and 'You da man!' following your every public move the past 14 years. The first 13, you didn't seem to mind the spotlight. Thrived in it, actually. But it's safe to say that you've hit your lowest point - at least professionally - as you and your pals gather this week for the PGA Championship here in Kohler, the world toilet headquarters (we'll refrain from making any jokes at your expense). People assumed you'd snap out of your season-long funk last week in Akron, Ohio, at Firestone County Club, since you'd won that tournament the last four times you'd played, racked up seven victories in all on Firestone's South Course, and never finished worse than fifth. How do you respond to all that pretournament optimism sent your way? You throw together a 74-72-75-77 stinker, on a course you averaged 67.5, and had never shot worse than 72. You managed to beat only one player. It's your worst 72-hole score as a professional, and included, according to you, bad drives, poor iron play, an underwhelming short game, and a cold putter, something that's held you back all year. It also featured a third-round shank from 160 yards in the middle of the 18th fairway (when's the last time you've done that?), and a second-round go-up-and-hit-it rush job on a greenside chip when your first attempt fell short of the green. You've always said - with pride - that you grind and give 100 percent no matter your score, but it certainly looked like you were preoccupied with getting off the course as quickly as possible, which, based on how things are going lately, is pretty understandable. It looks like - save for a splendid back nine during the third round of the US Open at Pebble Beach - you haven't had any fun on the golf course this year. Again, pretty understandable. In fact, after tying for 78th Sunday, you were asked that point-blank. Are you having any fun? 'Absolutely not,' you said. 'I don't see how it can be fun shooting 18 over, especially since my handicap is supposed to be zero.' Excellent point. It must be difficult, though, hearing these people on TV wonder if you'll ever win another major, much less the five you need to break the record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus. Not even a year ago, eclipsing Jack was a foregone conclusion. Now? Not so much. Perhaps now's the time we acknowledge the elephant in the room. We know your personal life has taken on water like the Titanic, with rumors and reports of a costly divorce coming along nearly every week. Maybe it's already happened. If you're not in a good place off the course, how can you expect to be in a good place on it? Sure, your swing coach bolted, but is the main reason you've looked nothing like yourself in 2010 because you've finally showed the world who you really are, and your detractors and the golf gods are getting their sweet revenge? Perhaps. You find yourself in unfamiliar territory. Unless you play well this week, you won't be an automatic qualifier for the US Ryder Cup team, and won't make the PGA Tour playoffs (only the top 125 make it; you're 119th), denying Boston-area fans the opportunity to see you at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Thanks to Phil Mickelson's inability to play well when he needed to (Sunday's 78 the latest example), the rankings say you're still the top golfer in the world. The world knows better, however. You'd probably have a hard time winning your club championship, but then again, you belong to Isleworth near Orlando, Fla., and there's lots of good players down there. Do you need a break? You must be tempted to finish this week, suffer through one or two $7.5 million playoff tournaments if you're eligible, then shut it down, telling Corey Pavin that it wouldn't be fair to him or your would-be teammates to accept his captain's pick if your heart isn't in it. And clearly, it isn't. If you're struggling with your game, the penal Straits Course at Whistling Straits might not be where I'd pick to play, but you don't really have a choice. This week, though, you're in luck. There's 20 club pros in the field, so you should be able to dust most of them. There's hope for you yet. While you were trying to figure out your on-course issues at the Straits with an early-morning practice round Monday, we took advantage of the proximity and got a sneak peek at the renovated Erin Hills Golf Course, a daily-fee track west of Milwaukee that will host you guys at the 2017 US Open. Assuming you're still playing, of course. If, by chance, you miss the cut at the PGA this week, let's go play Erin Hills. And no begging. I won't give you more than two shots a side. Sincerely, Mike P.S.: Best of luck this week. 