Wednesday, June 13, 2001
If the golf course doesn't
beat you, many say Tiger will
By JOHN LINDSAY
Scripps Howard News Service
TULSA, Okla. — Less than two days before
the start of this 101st United States Open, Tiger Woods spoke
to the gathered media masses Tuesday. And considering the frenzy
that surrounds one of the most famous athletes in the world, one
thing is oh-so-clear.
When Tiger talks, everybody listens. And
even when he's not around, everybody else is talking about Tiger.
The enormous attention is the obvious byproduct
of Tiger's amazing dominance, which has included:
— Four consecutive major victories.
— Four wins in his last five PGA tournaments.
— Twenty victories in his last 40 PGA
events, a ludicrous 50 percent winning percentage.
Yet Woods insists that none of this will
mean a thing Thursday afternoon when he tees it up for the first
round at the tricky Southern Hills Country Club.
“I'm not trying to win five (majors)
in a row. I'm just trying to win one this week,” Woods said.
“All that I've done doesn't help me hit any shots this week.”
Oddsmakers have Woods as an even money pick
to do just that. The next choices are Phil Mickelson (9-1) and
David Duval (10-1). Even Tiger is aware of his unheard-of favorite
status in this Open.
“Would I put money on me? Probably
not,” Woods said. “Just because I don't think it would
be a good business decision, with those odds. Now do I like my
chances? Yes I do.”
As great as Woods is, his greatest asset
right now might just be his effect on his competitors. If Tiger
isn't inside their heads, he's somewhere in the neighborhood.
“We all know that Tiger might very
well have a great chance to win this week,” Duval said. “And
as player, I think you come to the realization that you have to
play very well and nearly mistake-free to expect to be battling
with him come Sunday.”
Others, like Brad Faxon, can't forget the
epic beating Woods put on the field at last year's Open at Pebble
Beach, winning by a record 15 strokes with a record score of 12-under
par.
“He just embarrassed us last year,”
Faxon said. “If he does it again this year, I don't know
what we'll do ... Even when he's not playing (in a PGA event),
you're still thinking about him.”
“You're crazy if you don't think about
what you have to do to get better,” Stuart Appleby said.
Those thoughts got the best of Appleby two
weeks ago at Tiger's most recent win: the Memorial. After closing
within three shots of Woods early in the final round, Appleby
suffered the humbling duo of first chipping his ball into the
water, then whiffing entirely on his next chip en route to a triple
bogey and a final-round 74.
“I think that's the big key to playing
against Tiger and to beating Tiger is to really concentrate on
your strengths and to play to those,” Duval said. “And
to not make the mistakes and try to do the things you can't do.”
ESPN analyst Andy North agreed.
“If you try to match Tiger shot for
shot, it's over,” said North, a two-time Open champion.
Amen to that said Spain's Sergio Garcia.
“I think you've to play your own game
and try to play well, and try to beat the golf course every single
time out,” Garcia said. “And the way to overcome Tiger
is to be perfect. And if not, congratulate him.”
With talk like this, maybe excess pressure
is the only thing that can slow down Woods. But not so, says Tiger.
“Do I put that much pressure on myself?
I really don't,” Woods insisted. “Do I expect to execute
what I set out to execute? Yes. And if I don't? Yes, it's disappointing.
But it's not the end of the world. I'm still going to be hopefully
breathing the next day. Sometimes it does hurt when you don't
accomplish what you set out to accomplish. But that should in
no shape or form ever really run you life, because life is too
short.”
And when he wasn't dodging the media, Tiger
was firing some amazing shots on the course. Much has been made
of Southern Hills' 642-yard, par-5 6th hole, the longest hole
in Open history. In practice this week, Woods reached it in two,
smashing a drive over 360 yards and a 6-iron from 280 yards out
over the green.
“I still think it's more than likely
going to be a three-shot hole for everybody in the field,”
Woods said.
Everyone except Tiger.
(Contact John Lindsay at http://www.shns.com.)
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