Thursday, June 21, 2001
Major or no major, Tiger says
he can't `dog' it
By JOEL STASHENKO
Associated Press Writer
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) — His major championship
streak over, Tiger Woods says he'll focus on winning the Buick
Classic with Grand Slam intensity or have to answer someday to
his toughest critic — himself.
“I do not think I could live with myself
if I knew that I dogged it, just because it would eat at me,”
he said Wednesday at the Westchester Country Club.
While defending his play at the U.S. Open
last week, Woods shrugged off a suggestion that perhaps a sore
Achilles' tendon contributed to his 12th-place tie.
“No. Only thing injured is my pride,”
he said.
“There's such a high when you are playing
in a major championship and you got to put that aside and say,
`You know what? There's just a bigger high this week because it's
a whole new week,'” Woods said.
Told that New York Yankees manager Joe Torre
recently compared All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter's will to win
with Woods', the world's top-ranked golfer said it was because
both athletes take “great pride” in what they do.
“I want to know when my career is done
how good I really was because I tried it on everything, I give
it everything I had so at least I know that's as good as I could
have gotten,” he said.
The Buick Classic begins Thursday at the
6,722-yard, par-71 Westchester Country Club. Though not long,
the course is considered one of the toughest on the PGA Tour because
of its tight driving areas, tall trees, thick rough and hilly
terrain.
The Buick Classic is usually held the week
before the Open, and Woods traditionally likes to take that week
off to polish his game. Moved to the week after the Open this
year, Woods — who has a promotional contract with Buick —
said it was a good opportunity to play in the PGA Tour stop closest
to New York City for the first time since 1997.
He finished tied for 43rd in '97 and missed
the cut the only other time he has played here, as an amateur
in 1994.
Woods' pro-am pairing had a decidedly Big
Apple flavor Wednesday when Andrew Giuliani, the 15-year-old son
of New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, was credited with shooting
an 85. Andrew Giuliani was a last-minute substitute for his father,
who said he had a sore foot.
Woods' presence has guaranteed the biggest
crowds in the 35-year history of the Buick Classic, but Woods
said tour security officials, police and volunteers do a good
job of keeping fans under control.
“The fans have always been nice, I
mean, they have been loud,” Woods said. “I think that
is just tradition when it comes to New Yorkers and their support
of a sporting event. But ... I have always played tournaments
where they have been a lot louder than they are here.”
Woods praised South African Retief Goosen
for recovering from a potentially devastating three-putt on the
72nd hole of the U.S. Open to beat Mark Brooks in an 18-hole playoff
on Monday.
“To be honest, I think he played probably
the most steady golf the entire four days in regulation and I
don't think — besides Stewart (Cink) and Mark (Brooks) —
you'd have any complaints,” Woods said.
Cink blew a chance to get into a playoff
by one stroke when he hurriedly attempted an 18-inch putt for
bogey on the 72nd hole of the Open and pushed it wide of the cup.
Cink wanted to putt out to give the stage to Goosen for what seemed
like his certain victory with two putts from 12 feet.
Woods said Wednesday he would have done
as Cink did and putted out, but not before marking his ball and
checking the lie.
“Sometimes you can be in a heel print,
a spike print,” Woods said. “You could have a spike
mark in front of the ball. ... So I would have marked it, but
I would have finished out just because that is an unwritten rule.”
Divots: Goosen's countryman Ernie Els, a
Buick Classic winner in 1996-97, withdrew from Wednesday's pro-am
with a sore back and was questionable for Thursday's first round.
... Brooks, who left the U.S. Open for home on Monday uncertain
whether he would play at Westchester, withdrew on Tuesday.
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