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DEL.ICIO.USWoods bludgeons all comers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Medinah, Ill. — Tiger Woods took on the world again this weekend, and once again the world lost. It was on a familiar battleground, the Medinah No. 3 Course where he had won a PGA Championship in 1999, and where, as he said as he became guardian of the Wanamaker Trophy a third time, he likes these grounds so much he looks forward to coming back again. And why not.
Once his name rose to the top of the leaderboard Saturday, it never came. It was a leaderboard dotted with names from a variety of nations over which he prevailed, Australia, England, Spain, Canada, Korea and Sweden, represented by Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir, K.J. Choi and Henrik Stenson, not to mention the herd of usual victims from the United States.
It was headline stuff that this was the 12th time Woods had carried the lead in one of the four major tournaments into the fourth round and that he had won all the previous 11. It was this matter that Ogilvy, then resting three strokes off Woods’ lead at the end of 54 holes, had addressed at the close of play Saturday.
“At some point he’s not going win one of these when he’s leading [after 54 holes],” Ogilvy said. “You know he’s not going to go his whole career leading after three rounds and winning. Someone is going to beat him one day.”
Well, this would not be the day, as the following 18 holes bore out. However, one must concede Mr. Ogilvy the privilege of his opinion, since he is the current national champion of American golf, duly earned in the Open at Winged Foot in June. His challenge here ended early in the round Sunday, when he bogeyed the second hole and double-bogeyed the third. He was as close at the start as he would be the rest of the day.
Woods set out at a birdie pace, on the first, the fifth, sixth and eighth holes, and never looked back, nor was he ever pressured. He played like a man with a world to conquer, which is no variation from his usually cold-steel style. For the most part, it appeared he used an approach similar to the game he put on display winning the British Open at Hoylake, mainly fairway woods and an occasional iron off the tee, playing position golf, then putting like a demon. It was confirmed that Luke Donald, the English student who studied at Northwestern University in nearby Evanston, was overwhelmed. He never had a birdie, and after starting the round even with Woods, he finished six strokes back in a tie for third place with Scott and Garcia at 276. Donald, now 28, had been paired with Woods three times before, including one round in the British Open at Royal St. George’s.
“It gets easier every time,” he said Saturday. Sorry, but that streak came to an end at Medinah.
There were times when one or another challenger would pick up the cudgel and make a move on the World’s No. 1 player. First, it was Weir, who was having a repeat experience. When Woods won his first PGA Championship over the Medinah course in 1999, Weir was tied with him going into the fourth round but swiftly disintegrated. Woods himself played only at par level and had to fend off the then 19-year-old Garcia at the end. Meantime, the ill-fated Weir checked in with a round of 80.
He drew within three strokes of Woods on the 10th hole Sunday, but there his challenge was over. Garcia, too, made a move, and Choi, but in the end only Shaun Micheel, who won the PGA at Rochester three years ago, was in Woods’ rear-view mirror, and that threat ended when Micheel bogeyed the home hole.
Even when Woods found trouble, he was able to chop and slash his way out of it. When he reached the back nine, tougher of the two nines, he surged into what would have been a record winning margin, had he been able to sustain it. When he and Bob May tied at Valhalla in 2000, they were both at 18-under par. That’s still the record, though Woods reached 19 under on the 11th hole, then gave it back with his only bogey on the par-3 17th, a severely challenging hole all week. It was there that Billy Andrade’s championship came to grief Saturday with a devastating 7.
Say this, Woods may have broken a record previously held by Ben Crane, notably the slowest player on the PGA Tour. Woods spent much of his time surveying, pacing and plotting his putt, though let it be said, he gave his gallery more excitement than Crane, once he did move into action. I suppose that one of these days Woods is going to lose again, and then my word processor will choke down.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Furman Bisher
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By ron
August 20, 2006 11:50 PM | Link to this
it appears as though if tiger is preparing for a streak from ‘99 and ‘00 when he completely dominated the game as never before in winning majors with astrominical margins.i believe that tiger will be better in his 30’s compared to his 20’s.he has matured and is stronger mentally as well physically.he’s not making the mistakes that let others back into the game.his only weakness may be the temptation to use the drivers.there is not another player in tigers zone,not even close.the els,the singhs,loves all appear on the downward side of their careers. mentally mickelson has not recovered from the us open and may never.it’s probably a good thing that tiger is selective as to the tournaments he plays.i’ve never seen tiger putt as well as he did today.is tiger the best ever,time will be your witness.the man has changed the face of the game the past ten years,the galleries are more culturally diverse,the equipment is different,the purses are richer,tv ratings soar when tiger is in contention.the game has gone globally,the best europeans,australlians,japanese and spainard come to america to compete against tiger.the look on the fans faces has the look of “awe” as they glimpse at him.they are witnessing something that comes along once in a lifetime.tiger has transcended the game to a different level than nicklaus.nicklaus couldn’t draw the cultural diverse interest in the game today as tiger has.the game has gotten more interest in the past ten years and is soaring to new heights.people plan their weekends around tiger when he’s in contention.baseball,basketball no longer dominate the airways when tiger is in contention.if he’s not the greatest yet in everyones mindset but he has transcended the game more than anyother in the history of golf.yes that includes the georgian bobby jones.with his racist rhetoric he can’t be considered as a trendsetter in todays world.
By Dave
August 21, 2006 02:00 AM | Link to this
It is truly remarkable to be able to watch Tiger play in our generation. We all knew he had the potential to become one of the best but the reality is that he is the best now and will forever be known as the best. I think Jack’s record of major titles will crumble within the next four years if not sooner. People complain that the courses cannot compete with the technology of the game today but as Tiger showed us brilliantly over the weekend that he can play from 180 to 200 yds out and put the ball to within 15 feet of the cup. Once on the green it was all about talent and feel. I am ready for the next major season and we just might see the true Grand Slam.
By This gets old
August 21, 2006 04:36 AM | Link to this
While it’s really a lot of fun to sit back and watch him play it also must be said that the guys who chase Tiger when he’s playing well simply fall apart.
How much better would Tiger be if guys would really step up the challenge? Mind you it’s not Tiger’s fault and it’s fun to watch but it is a bit lacking in these final rounds whenever his Sunday opponent melts like a jello mold left out in the sun.
By Buster
August 21, 2006 06:39 AM | Link to this
Hey ron, what’s the matter, your shift key won’t work? Aside from that, your comment is the biggest bunch of boring, lower-case tripe I’ve ever seen. And before you call anyone racist, I suggest you get some facts. Today’s world could use many “non-trendsetters” like Bobby Jones.
By Nikki
August 21, 2006 08:00 AM | Link to this
I love watching the other guys completely fall apart. That’s what a good competiter does to the others. That’s what makes Tiger remarkable. To be perfectly honest though, I did feel bad for Mike Weir. He seemed to be coming apart at the seams.
By mart
August 21, 2006 08:10 AM | Link to this
Wier shot a 73, a worthless performance but hardly an 80.
By ron
August 21, 2006 09:11 AM | Link to this
with a name like “buster” what else can anyone else expect.i’m sure that the TIGERS of the world are unsetteling to a lot of “busters”.
By Ken Stallings
August 21, 2006 10:03 AM | Link to this
Baring injury, it seems certain Woods will eclipse the Nicklaus record for majors won, eclipse the record for total PGA victories, and bludgeon the field for total winnings.
Perhaps the one golfing record left in the question mark category is the matching of the single year grand slam — a title created by the media to describe what Robert T. Jones accomplished, and not yet truly matched since.
Woods can claim four in a row, but not in a single year. This earns the man his own signature title of the Tiger Slam, but it’s a bit weak in comparison.
Next season may mark the best opportunity for Woods to achieve that immortal measure. His game appears at its strongest level just as his list of opposition appears at its overall weakest.
If Woods does achieve the grand slam, then there will be not one single golfing record of note which will not bear his name when he finally retires. By which time, he will cement the title of greatest golfer ever, and without question one of the greatest athletes in history.
By Bill
August 21, 2006 10:17 AM | Link to this
He is already the greatest golfer of all times! His physical and mental condition has set golf on another level. When he is on his game - one one will beat him! We can just enjoy history.
By Bill
August 21, 2006 10:18 AM | Link to this
He is already the greatest golfer of all times! His physical and mental condition has set golf on another level. When he is on his game - no one will beat him! We can just enjoy history.
By Davis
August 21, 2006 11:13 AM | Link to this
One thhing that does upset me… is the coverage on other players. If they are challenging Tiger - they get no air time. For example, Tigers good friend from San Diego (Chris Riley) was paired with him on Saturday and I never saw his face on TV. Also, We have wager in a pool format where we select 4 players through a draw process and I never got to see a complete leader board past page 3 the entire telecast. Horrible coverage.
By Davis
August 21, 2006 11:15 AM | Link to this
One thhing that does upset me… is the coverage on other players. If they are challenging Tiger - they get no air time. For example, Tigers good friend from San Diego (Chris Riley) was paired with him on Saturday and I never saw his face on TV. Also, We have wager in a pool format where we select 4 players through a draw process and I never got to see a complete leader board past page 3 the entire telecast. Horrible coverage.
By Davis
August 21, 2006 11:16 AM | Link to this
One thing that does upset me… is the coverage on other players. If they are not challenging Tiger - they get no air time. For example, Tiger’s good friend from San Diego (Chris Riley) was paired with him on Saturday and I never saw his face on TV. Also, We have wager in a pool format where we select 4 players through a draw process and I never got to see a complete leader board past page 3 the entire telecast. Horrible coverage.
By Davis
August 21, 2006 11:16 AM | Link to this
One thing that does upset me… is the coverage on other players. If they are not challenging Tiger - they get no air time. For example, Tiger’s good friend from San Diego (Chris Riley) was paired with him on Saturday and I never saw his face on TV. Also, We have wager in a pool format where we select 4 players through a draw process and I never got to see a complete leader board past page 3 the entire telecast. Horrible coverage.
By Par Shooter
August 21, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this
PGA Tour needs to update their slogan to “PGA Tour- This guy is good!”. For Majors, they should consider taking the top 10’s best ball against Tiger to make it more interesting.
It’s great to see Tiger dominating the field week in and week out and chasing once thought impossible Nicklaus records. That said, the excitement of watching these massacres is not as fun as they were in the 1997 Masters or 2000 US Open when it was a relatively new phenomenon. I hope that interest in the PGA Tour does not decline as Tiger sets new records. While Tiger continually finds new ways of beating the field, it’s sad that the field does not experiment with new approaches to beating Tiger.
By Par Shooter
August 21, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this
Davis- CBS was uniquely challenged with their coverage on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday there were like 35 guys within 4 shots of the lead and all were dropping birdies on every other hole. CBS had to decide which were the most appropriate to show and I thought they did a pretty good job. Why show Chris “I’m too tired to play” Riley when he is backing up from a charging field? Sunday was the exact opposite in that Tiger played well while the rest of the field(aside from Adam Scott) melted down. Not sure how they could have made Sunday exciting given what they were working with.
My main knock on CBS is how they continually switched from HDTV camera views to low-definition camera views. Shouldn’t the entire broadcast be in HD?
By This gets old
August 21, 2006 02:10 PM | Link to this
Speaking of the coverage did anyone else notice on the Saturday coverage off of the tee?
CBS showed the swing, followed by a close up of the player watching the shot and then the sound of the swing. I thought after being caught adding the chirping birds that the network was all on the up and up now.