Posts Tagged ‘ woods ’

Sunday Best

When the authors and pundits look back on this stage of Tiger Woods’ career, will it be marked “The Second Coming?” Is the Australian Masters a corner-turning moment, or just another masterful mirage? We’ve seen a few peaks and some improbable lows, but this week could act as some validation that Woods is indeed on the fast track to regaining his foothold on professional golf. Will he have success in an event that he has steamrolled through in the past? Here are my preferred opponents for Woods during Sunday’s singles at the Presidents Cup.

3. Ernie Els

One of golf’s classic showdowns, Big Easy and Tiger have slugged it out plenty of times in the past. Most notably during the 2000 Mercedes Championship, with Woods stapling victory by sinking a 40-footer on the first playoff hole. At the 2003 Presidents Cup, Woods and Els anchored their respective teams in a sudden death playoff pitting the two head-to-head. Of course, that result was a tie. A 2011 matchup could dissolve the unfinished business of eight years ago. Both players struggled in 2011, and this could revive a couple of savvy veteran hall of famers.

2. Y.E. Yang

Neither Yang or Woods made major splashes since their incredible battle down the stretch of the 2009 PGA Championship. However, wouldn’t it be fitting to see Woods regain his form by defeating the man who stripped off his cloak of invincibility? After Yang knocked off Woods, it was a monumental avalanche of misfortune and deceit that hurled the 14-time major winner off a cliff of public opinion. Most of Woods’ wounds were self-inflicted, but the collapse against Yang served as the preemptive blow. Woods would certainly salivate at the opportunity for redemption.

1. Adam Scott

This comes as no surprise. Everybody–except probably Adam Scott himself–truly wants to see this. The messy divorce between Woods and caddie Steve Williams took another twist last week, with the disgruntled looper calling his former employer a “black ——-“. High drama awaits indeed. Although it was Woods’ decision to part ways, he appears to still claim the moral high ground. Williams claimed his 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational win with Scott was the “best win [he’s] ever had”. There’s no way that Woods doesn’t want a shot to break Williams down, even know he’s not exactly competing against him. Scott, is just the middle man of this all. If Norman and Couples pull some strings to make this happen on Sunday, I won’t complain. Will you?

Six days ’til Sunday.

2011
11/14
CATEGORY
President's Cup
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You Haas to be Kidding Me

The shot was absolutely thrilling. Even Hunter Mahan himself, suspected that he could tie a gaudy bow around his $10 million present. But, Bill Haas perfectly performed CPR on his ball, and his chances of winning the FedEx Cup Championship. One hole later, a simple, vanilla par sealed his biggest career victory and payday.

The dramatic finish was a bit uncharacteristic for the PGA Tour’s “Playoffs”. But, here we are a day later with our jaws still stuck to the ground. We’ll see if next year continues to pick up momentum.

As for 2011, golf has two attention-grabbing events left. First, Tiger Woods’ unusual appearance at the Frys.com Open on the West Coast. Everybody wants to see what an extended, HEALTHY layoff does for the former World No. 1 who continues to plummet down the charts. Will he make the cut? Secure a Top-5 finish? Win the damn thing? Crash his golf cart into a fire hydrant during a practice round? These questions and more will be answered.

Secondly, the sport’s ultimate tease: The President’s Cup. Will it end in a tie again? The Aussies could simply gang up on the Americans all by themselves and win handily. But, more on this to come. I’ll have a full breakdown in the coming weeks. See you then.

2011
09/26
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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Revisiting Hotlanta

[Me]: Has it really been 10 years since the PGA Tour has been to Atlanta Athletic Club?

[Wikipedia]: Yes.

It’s been a while, AAC. The golf world is a vastly different, unpredictable entity. Truths we knew then, we certainly don’t know now. Tiger Woods used to win tournaments back then. Phil Mickelson tried to. Sergio Garcia was relevant and still somewhat a sensation. The present and future of golf was solely on the still-gangly shoulders of a 25-year-old. Now, a slew of contenders lay stake at the throne. Anybody can win this week. And I mean anybody. Grant Waite could probably win as the 79th alternate.

Flash back to 2001. I have fond memories of being stationed at my shore house in Stone Harbor, N.J. Rooting vehemently against Woods–just because he won too much. Admit it, you probably did too. Hey, it worked, he finished T-29.

The tournament itself played out exactly how it should have. The right man won, the right man lost. The course layout might have been a bit forgiving, but left plenty of theatrics. If you followed as closely as I did, you’ll remember we learned to say “Shingo” and that sometimes, it’s OK not to be Tin Cup. You can have balls and not go for the “ultimate score”.

The final stretch is built to encourage dramatic finishes. The par-3 15th, played host to David Toms’ ace during the third round in 2001. It’s difficulty literally helped Toms pick up 2-3 shots on the field. The 5-wood he hit might have careened over the green if it didn’t hit the stick. Having another par-3 two holes later on No. 17 is extremely unique. You need to be a crafty iron player to navigate this one. Finally, No. 18 is undulated to perfection. The right side slopes the fairway left, and water is definitely waiting for you on the left. Players today will have to cede distance for accuracy. The approach shot taunts you, laughs at you, and implores at you. At 507 yards, it’s a challenge to get the shot close. Toms, famously laid up, and stuck a chip and putt to win by one shot. The steadfast veteran (at age 34), deserved the win. Toms is like dozens of solid tour players who rarely ice up the “big one”. They’ll win the Zurich Classic’s and wind up with a couple big pay days, but that’s about it. A tremendous short game, and Lefty’s passion for runner-ups at the time helped seal the deal. Mickelson played the “Everybody’s Favorite Loser” card well into 2004, when he finally broke through at Augusta. But, without these agonizing near-misses and 11th hour collapses he wouldn’t have evolved into the player he is today. He’s morphed into “Everybody’s Favorite Winner”/”All-American Family Man”/”The Damn Math and Science Guy Who is In All Those Freaking Commercials During Major Championships”. All the heartache made for a pretty good storybook ending.

AAC, let’s do it all over again in 2011.

[AAC]: Just make sure you bring that Dustin guy.

2011
08/10
CATEGORY
PGA11
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