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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

NORTON, Mass. -- What if every day was Sunday? What if every quarter was the fourth and every inning was the ninth? That is what it must be like to be Tiger Woods. Every day comes with unrealistic expectations. Every round is expected to be historic. That is the way that it seems. But that is not reality, not by a month of Sundays.

Vijay Singh was in danger of missing the cut until coming back with a sensational 66 on Saturday. (Getty)

Winning a 72-hole tournament at the highest level is not about flashes of brilliance. In Tiger's five PGA TOUR victories this year, he has shot at least one round of 70 or higher. Two of those victories began with a 71 and one other with a 70. He has not broken 70 in all four rounds of a tournament this year.

But everywhere you looked on Friday night and in the Saturday morning newspapers, there was the same sentiment. Tiger, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh let us down in the opening round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.

The result fell far short of expectation was the common refrain. Hype is a dangerous thing, though. Judging those three based on opening round scores is like judging a boxing match by the first three rounds or a baseball game by the first two innings.

No, every day is not Sunday. Heck, this week Sunday isn't even Sunday.

Of course, it was disappointing to watch the game's best play like us on Friday. Tiger built sandcastles in the bunker on No. 4 where he took three to extricate himself. His double bogey was the second worse score on that hole in the opening round. Not to be outdone, Phil made a triple on No. 9. That 7 was the highest score recorded at the par 4 all day.

Vijay got a good portion of his opening-round stickiness out of the way early with a four-putt double bogey on the first hole. After missing the cut in his last two starts, Vijay turned it around on Saturday. As expected, so did Tiger and Phil.

These three players are held to a higher standard than any other players in a game that reveres its history -- but also has a very short memory. By week's end, it is likely that one or all of these three are going to be a battling down the stretch, chasing the Deutsche Bank Championship trophy.

And those same scribes and naysayers, will be singing the praises of the "Big Three." The historical moment that they all hyped and anticipated may well come to fruition. But it can't be forced, and it can't happen early in the week.

Tiger, Phil and Vijay -- not to mention, anyone who has ever played the game competitively -- will tell you that you can't win a golf tournament in the opening round. No matter whom you pair together, a first round is just that, a first round.

None of those three were particularly proud of their opening rounds. Tiger and Phil both felt like they played better than their scores. And perhaps they did.

When you watch golf on Sunday afternoon, regardless of who is in contention, it is important to remember that you are watching the best players in the world playing their best. The guys who don't have it all working tee off a little earlier and don't spend a lot of time under the scrutiny of the television cameras and radio broadcasters. Even early round coverage tends to focus mainly on the hottest players on the course with the occasional birdie putt from the big names.

Sunday and Monday are poised to bring Tiger, Phil and Vijay together again. Whether or not they will be paired in the same group depends on how they play and how others around them play. A year ago Tiger and Vijay took center stage in Monday's final round. Tiger's labor was rewarded with his first Deutsche Bank Championship title.

Maybe Lefty and Tiger will square off this weekend and vie for the title. We haven't seen those two go head-to-head since Doral two years ago, when Tiger edged out Phil. Remember that excitement built throughout the week? It culminated on Sunday. That is how it works, except this week.

This week, you have to wait until Monday.