Thursday, June 14, 2001
Ten Commandments from golf's higher power
By JOHN LINDSAY
Scripps-McClatchy Western Service
TULSA, Okla. — Five years ago, he announced his presence
on television, simply stating “I am Tiger Woods.”
But when it comes to golf these days, Tiger might as well say
“I am God.” Only a higher power could do the things
Woods has to electrify the sports world over the last two years.
So amid that religious backdrop and the 101st United States Open
set to start Thursday at Southern Hills, here are Tiger's 10 Commandments
to become only the third Open champion in the last 50 years to
successfully defend his crown.
— 10. Heed Butch. Woods religiously practices under the watchful
eye of his coach Butch Harmon. It's hard to understand exactly
what Harmon does or sees as Woods will pound balls for 30 minutes
or more with Harmon saying very little.
But when Butch talks, Tiger listens. And who in their right mind
can argue with the results?
— 9. Stay focused. For Woods, this means everything in his
life is in a certain order. And you follow that regimen without
exemption in every tournament.
Ever wonder why we've never heard much out of Tiger's girlfriend-rumored-to-be
fiancee Joanna Jogada? Because Tiger wants no distractions.
“I'm just trying to do what's best for me,” Woods explains.
“I have the things I like to do and I have to do so I try
to somehow do it the same way each and every time I go to a tournament
site — especially for a major.”
— 8. Careful on the par-3s. If Woods has any tiny flaw, it
might be a tendency to get a little loose on irons into certain
par-3s. Southern Hills has two short 3's (the 175-yard 6th and
the 165-yard 11th) and two longer ones (the 225-yard 8th and the
215-yard 14th).
Look for Woods to be a little more cautious there. He remembers
the 1997 Open at Congressional. In the first round, Tiger fired
at the flag on the short par-3 18th, wound up in the water with
a double bogey and a 4-over 74. He never really recovered and
wound up tied for 19th.
— 7. Show enthusiasm. Ever wonder why Woods is such a darling
of the galleries even though he's such an overwhelming favorite?
It's his infectious enthusiasm. Fans love the arm-pumping, the
pointing at the ball as it rolls in the hole and Tiger's devilish
smile. Look for that trademark charisma this week as the Tulsa
fans are eager to get behind Tiger.
— 6. Intimidate opponents. It's almost sad to watch what
Woods' rise has done to his competitors. From Phil Mickelson missing
a three-foot putt to Stuart Appleby whiffing on a chip to David
Duval's crazy diet-fitness approach, these woes all go back to
the pressure of trying to keep up with Tiger.
Simply put, nobody has ever pushed around golf's best players
the way Woods has lately.
“We're competing against a guy that's dominating a sport,
unlike anybody else,” said Ernie Els. “You've just got
to hand it to him.”
— 5. Short-game survival. The big difference between today's
Tiger and the youngster that lapped the field at the 1997 Masters
is Tiger's improved short game. Not only is Woods the best player,
he might also be the best at getting out of trouble around the
greens.
“I think that's one of the main reasons Tiger is beating
us,” Els said. “He misses it in a spot where he can
get up and down ... That's what he does better than the rest of
us. He misses on the right side. And that's important on a course
as tough as this, especially around the greens.”
— 4. Escape trouble. A traditional course with tree-lined
fairways and Bermuda rough, Southern Hills taxes a player's ability
to escape trouble after wayward shots. Yet the creative Woods
has gotten so good at those exact low-running, hooking or fading
escapes that this figures to be another advantage for him.
— 3. Trust the driver. Sure Woods will hit his share of 2-irons
off the tee — especially with five par-4s of under 400 yards.
But Woods can hardly ignore the edge his driver gives him. Remember
during his current run of four straight major wins, Woods has
averaged over 307 yards off the tee.
That will be a big factor on the 642-yard, par-5 fifth (the longest
hole in U.S. Open history), the 491-yard 16th hole (the longest
par-4 in Open history) and the nasty 466-yard par-4 18th.
— 2. Devour par-5s. There's only two — No. 5 and the
534-yard, par-5 13th — but Woods can reach both in two for
likely birdies. If he makes par on them, it's almost like he gave
a shot back to the field.
— 1. Putts mean wins. Of all Woods' incredible skills, the
one that consistently holds his peers in awe is his ability to
hit the big putt. Quite simply, he's the best clutch putter in
the sport — maybe ever.
“I played with him the first two rounds last year (at Tiger's
record Open victory), and he never missed a putt inside 10 feet,”
said Sweden's Jesper Parnevik. “I couldn't believe it.”
Vijay Singh agreed.
“Here I am, I had just won the Masters and I can't make a
thing (at Pebble Beach) and he's hitting everything,” said
the last man to win a major aside from Woods. “I mean, what
can you do?”
So if Woods putts like that again, he wins easily. If not —
and his putter was cold earlier this year — someone else
might have a chance.
(Contact John Lindsday of Scripps Howard News Service at http://www.shns.com.)
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