Saturday, August 18, 2001
Tiger gave his all
By Jack Wilkinson
c. 2001 Cox News Service
ATLANTA — Somehow, he'd avoided the
unthinkable. Even Greg Maddux walks a batter every couple of months,
but Tiger Woods never, never misses a cut. Certainly not in a
major. So when he'd landed safely on the 18th green, not pin-high
but dry, Woods confided in his playing partner and good friend,
David Duval.
“I was telling David that it's a lot
harder knowing you have to hit the ball on the green and two-putt
to make the cut, rather than trying to win the tournament,”
said Woods. “I've been on the other side a lot more often.”
On a steambath Friday when scores sizzled,
among the dramas at the 83rd PGA Championship involved Woods.
Not whether the two-time defending PGA champion had played himself
into contention. Whether he'd be playing at all today.
“I've always believed you've got to
give it everything you've got,” he said. “And that's
what I did.”
With a rammed 40-foot birdie on No. 15 that
might have been arrested for speeding on I-285, then another 30-footer
on the 16th, Woods made the cut for a 74th consecutive time, the
fourth-longest streak in PGA Tour history. He hasn't missed a
cut since the 1998 AT&T at Pebble Beach and has yet to miss
the cut in 20 majors as a professional. Woods continued that streak
with a 3-under 67 Friday that leaves him at even-par 140. He's
chasing good company: Byron Nelson holds the consecutive cuts
made record at 113, followed by Jack Nicklaus at 105 and Hale
Irwin at 86.
Never mind that the cut Friday ultimately
was at plus-1 141. After a lip-out bogey at No. 13, Woods came
to the 15th tee Friday 1-under for the day, 2-over for the tournament
and in real peril of having the weekend off.
“I had to ask what it was, plus-1 or
even,” said Woods. “I was told it was even.”
It was even worse when Woods left his tee
shot on the 227-yard par-3 just short of the green. He thought
he needed two birdies on the four finishing holes, the most demanding
stretch on the Atlanta Athletic Club's Highlands Course. Now,
Woods was 40 feet from the cup.
“For some reason, I just had a good
feeling standing over that putt,” he said. “When I hit
it, I hoped it wouldn't go in the water.”
Instead, it was a slam-dunk. “It just
slammed in the hole,” said Woods. He showed no emotion. “I
was kind of embarrassed that I hit it way too hard.”
On No. 16, Woods then rolled in a 30-footer
for birdie. “All of a sudden, BOOM! I'm even,” he said.
But after parring No. 17, Woods had to make par at the 490-yard
18th. His drive left him with a hanging lie in the first cut of
rough. With 219 yards to the pin, he hit a 5-iron.
“I dump it right and short in the water,”
Woods said, “and it's over.”
He landed safely, two-putted and breathed
a sigh of genuine relief. Asked if he can still win despite being
nine shots off the lead, Woods said, “Oh yeah. Without a
doubt. Hopefully, I can go out early (at 8:40 a.m. today, in the
fifth pairing) and post a low round. When I play, I take great
pride in playing well and giving it all I have.”
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