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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > April > 12
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Never count Woods out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Augusta — He still can win it, so shut up, at least if you’re among those who keep yapping about Tiger Woods and his honest tongue. He said what he said about sitting “within reach” of snatching golf’s four major championships during the same year, and it was what needed to be said.
When you’re this omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent with various Nike sticks in your hands, you can say such things and back them up. Exhibit A: Eldrick T. Woods, otherwise known as Tiger, now within roaring distance today at the Masters of wearing a fifth green jacket. It has just taken a while for the most gifted and driven golfer who ever lived to do his usual thing at Augusta National by jumping from the deepest sections of the azaleas whenever Sunday comes near.
“No doubt, I put myself right back into the tournament, and the pin locations will be a little bit more accessible tomorrow,” said Woods, sounding pleasantly smug on Saturday after sealing his third round with a miraculous recovery shot out of the pine straw at 18 along the way to a 4-under-par 68. As a result, he is 5 under for the tournament and trailing four guys who have managed a collective zero major championships to Tiger’s 13.
This is why Woods can say whatever he wants to say whenever he wants to say it. This also is why anybody who doubts what Woods can do on a golf course at any time and with any deficit and at any venue should consider sticking a 5-iron down their throat.
Woods still can win this Masters, all right, with just a touch of help (such as those folks ahead of him feeling Tiger pressure). If so, he will keep his dream alive of doing what previously was considered the impossible by replacing his Tiger Slam with a real slam involving victories at the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship. Before that, he’ll have to battle, not only those underwhelming folks ahead of him on the leaderboard, but the chilly and strong winds that are expected to make Augusta National have enough teeth to bite even a Tiger.
Said Woods, suggesting that he couldn’t care less, “I know I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, obviously, because the conditions are supposed to be pretty blustery tomorrow and a little bit cooler. But, again, you just have to hang in there. You just have to stay patient out there.”
You just have to be the Woods of late Saturday afternoon, which was pretty good when it counted the most. The Woods of early Saturday afternoon was pretty mediocre, courtesy of a front nine that featured missed opportunities. After he birdied No. 2, he went seven consecutive holes watching his birdie putts slide either out of or just shy of the cup. So all he needed to stay in the vicinity of putting his putter where his mouth has been was something wonderful at Amen Corner.
Well, at least Woods wasn’t woeful by finishing the heavenly but daunting holes at Nos. 11, 12 and 13 with two pars and a birdie to complement his other three birdies for the afternoon. As a result, Wood still has more than a prayer today.
It won’t take a long one for Woods, because he has been a miracle worker before after trailing by significant margins when entering the final round of a PGA tournament. In 1998, he was down by eight strokes to Ernie Els during the Johnnie Walker Classic before winning in a playoff. He trailed Matt Gogel and Mark Brooks by five strokes (and by seven after 11 holes in the final round) two years later in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and he took the event by two strokes.
Not only that, Woods has triumphed six times on the tour after trailing by seven shots after 36 holes.
Woods trailed by seven shots after 36 holes this time.
The fact that Woods is struggling this much at all in the Masters is making the Tiger bashers roar louder. They also take glee in the fact that he has never won a major when trailing after three rounds.
Then again, who cares?
Tiger doesn’t.
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