 |
| Tiger ready to silence his doubters |
The former five-year world number one may have endured a 16-month winless drought, the longest in his professional career spanning over 18 events, but after carding a final-round 66 for the joint best score of the day at the WGC-Cadillac Championship two weeks ago, Woods remained remarkably coy when asked about his chances of winning a fifth green jacket at the Masters next month.
Opening up
Not only did Woods make it clear to the media he is starting to ‘flush’ the ball and that his game is peaking at the right time, he also declared he will surpass Jack Nicklaus’ 18-time major record. At just 35 years old, Woods has plenty more years ahead of him – Nicklaus took over 20 years to tally up 18 majors and Woods has not yet been playing for that long. As a matter of fact, the Golden Bear won two Majors at the age of 35 and added four more after his 36th birthday, winning the 1986 Masters at the age of 46.
There is no question the ‘New Tiger Woods’ is heading back into the spotlight. Woods made television show appearances last week on NBC’s late night Jimmy Fallon show and ABC’s Good Morning America for the first time since his downfall – talking joyfully about his three-year-old daughter Sam and two-year-old son Charlie. He has also spent more time signing autographs for his adoring fans and has openly discussed his game with the media, instead of being a semi-recluse.
Say what you like about the richest sportsman in the world, many already have, including NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller, who has compared Woods’ demise to boxer Mike Tyson after winning the WBC heavyweight title in 1986. But you have to respect a man who is slowly putting the pieces of his life back together. Yes, he has lost his role-model status and superman-like image but we must now accept him for who he really is – a humble human being who has helped transform this beautiful game over the past 15 years.
On the course, Woods has made significant swing changes with his new coach Sean Foley but they have yet to reap the rewards. There have been glimpses of brilliance but at the same time, they have been overshadowed by poor putting and wayward drives. But Woods knows all too well that revamping the swing does not bring instant success. In 2003, he left Butch Harmon and between his win at the 2002 US Open and 2005 Masters, Woods won six PGA events and no Majors.
One distraction Woods could doubtless do without at the moment is the on-going enmity between Foley and former tutor Hank Haney. Foley, who also looks after Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Sean O’Hair and Stephen Ames, has been blamed by Haney for Woods’ lack of form. If Foley really cares about Woods’ career, then he will need to put an end to the dispute quickly.
However, for the first time in what seems ages, Woods managed to string a full 18 holes together in the final round at Doral. From tee to green, Woods looked flawless firing seven birdies, five of which came from within six feet of the hole, and 25 putts – statistics we have been accustomed to seeing from Woods in his prime. He then continued his good form a day later at the Tavistock Cup - firing a better-ball 64 with Arjun Atwal on day one and a 69 in his singles on day two.
And the impressive swing changes were evident during both rounds. His club face looked a lot squarer to the target and slightly more inside – with a better shoulder tilt to match his arm angle. So perhaps Foley is the man to lead Woods back into the winners circle after all?
Returning to good memories
 |
| Woods looking to repeat 2009 Bay Hill win |
Woods could not defend his 2009 Bay Hill crown last year - where he clawed back a five-shot deficit against O’Hair in the final round - so this will feel like a title defence. With the confidence of a Sunday-66 and positive vibes from the Tavistock Cup, Woods could not wish to enter these two tournaments at a better time. Equally as impressive is his record at Augusta where he has won four times and finished in the top ten 11 of the last 14 times.
Inconsistency
But if the world number five is to reassume his position at the top of the world, he is going to have to win sooner rather than later to make up ground on the European four-ball that have blitzed past him in recent weeks.
First of all, Woods needs to record four consecutive rounds of sub-par golf. He was too far back to contend at Doral; hence his final round score only resulted in a tie for 10th. The last time Woods shot four rounds in the 60s was when he won his last PGA Tour event at the BMW Championship in 2009.
Another problem that needs ironing out is Tiger’s putting. He is currently ranked 101st in putting average, a statistic that suggests Woods is not striking the ball close enough to the flagstick and gradually losing confidence with a club he has had so much joy with over the years.
Woods realises the need to talk up his game as much as he can in order to maintain the aura he built up with his brilliance on the golf course. That is because he knows - and he always has - that his reputation can help him win tournaments. He is in unfamiliar territory right now; wins cannot be chalked up like crossing items off a shopping list anymore, he made it that way and he must face the music – his peers do not fear him, mainly because they have not seen his name on the leaderboards for some time.
But this is a 'New Tiger Woods', who has every right to talk a good game judging by his previous three rounds of golf. Will it be another blip on the radar or has Tiger really turned a corner? I for one believe Woods will be turning one particular corner on April 10, Amen corner to be precise, with every chance of slipping on a fifth green jacket over his Sunday red.
No comments:
Post a Comment