Leaning in along the autograph ropes, half as tall and nowhere as loud as the competition, Gloria Vawter might as well have won the Honda Classic on Wednesday afternoon.
That’s how it will feel Thursday, and for a long time time to come, as the 13-year-old golf and martial arts nut from Port St. Lucie replays the lucky break that went her way behind the 18th green. There hundreds of fans waited to get a signature from Tiger Woods on the superstar’s fast walk away from a pro-am round and into the distance, where the private bubble of his Jupiter Island home always beckons.
“Tiger was going past and he grabbed my cap and he kept walking,” Gloria said, smiling broadly as she exited the scrum. “I saw him turn and look for me to give it back, and somebody handed it to me in the crowd. He’s the one I really wanted.”
No offense to defending champion Rory McIlroy or 2008 Honda winner Ernie Els, whose signatures also were scrawled across Gloria’s cap.
This is how it always goes. Once a tournament is fortunate enough to land Tiger, the way the Honda has for two consecutive years, everybody else simply rates as a bonus.
He’s the one that just about every fan is talking about on the bus ride over from general parking at Dyer Park, especially those who witnessed Tiger’s final-round 62 last year to snag a tie for second place.
In case anyone’s wondering, Brian Harman, who shot a course-record 61 on the Champion in the second round of that tournament is back in the field, too. Same goes for Tom Gillis, the Jupiter pro who tied Tiger for second place and … oh, never mind. I’m starting to lose you, right?
For ridiculous amounts of local golf fans it’s all about Tiger this week at PGA National. That means all of us need to focus. Wanting to see him tee off Thursday at 7:25 a.m. is not the same, for instance, as setting the alarm and walking the dog in the dark and then actually making it happen.
“The rough is up,” Tiger said Wednesday, as dozens of reporters jockeyed to ask the next question and a chorus of shouting autograph seekers provided the background music of his life. “The fairways are a bit watery. We’ve had probably five or six mud balls today. The greens are running perfectly smoothly, but there’s a little more grass on them than there was last year, for sure.”
That’s Tiger the computer, analyzing all available data in pursuit of his 76th PGA Tour victory.
What about Tiger just kicking it around the course on cruise control? If somebody can patch us through to the White House, we’ll ask President Obama about that. They played two lightning rounds of golf together at The Floridian in Palm City a couple of weekends ago, though golf fans seem more fascinated now by Tiger’s relationship with McIlroy.
From the sound of things, Rory’s number is on speed dial just in case time and schedules should allow for a practice round among peers.
“Yeah,” said Tiger, “he’s a friend who just happens to be the No. 1 player in the world.”
That position was practically Tiger’s private property until October of 2010. Don’t look now but he’s back up to No. 2, notwithstanding the first-round losses that both he and Rory took in last week’s Accenture Match Play Championships in Arizona. Tiger, 37, and Rory, 23, aren’t paired together in the Honda’s first two rounds, but wouldn’t it be delicious if they were on the weekend with the tournament on the line?
There are other players in this field who would not be intimidated by facing off with Tiger on the final holes — Lee Westwood comes instantly to mind — but Rory is so young that he just hasn’t had that many chances to find out.
“I just came out of college and, the next thing you know, I’m the No. 1 player in the world,” Tiger said. “It was a little bit faster than what Rory has had. He’s had time to adapt and to grow into it. I think he’s done a fantastic job of it.”
That’s about all there is to say until actual competition begins today off the No. 1 and the No. 10 tee at 6:45, which just happens to be the precise moment when the sun is scheduled to rise over Palm Beach Gardens.
Wouldn’t want to waste a minute, right? Tiger is back at the Honda and nothing could give the tournament a sharper bite.
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