Wednesday, June 13, 2001
Catching Tiger: It's Woods vs. World at
U.S. Open
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The way these guys are talking, why go
through the formality of playing the U.S. Open? Let's just give
another trophy to Tiger Woods.
Sergio Garcia says it will take perfection to beat Woods, a virtual
impossibility in the fickle game of golf.
Nick Price still marvels at the one-man demolition of Pebble Beach
in last year's Open, when Woods won the first of his four straight
majors by 15 strokes.
“I'll never be surprised again,” Price said Tuesday.
“The sky's the limit. It's like there's no more rules in
golf anymore.”
David Duval, the last player to be ranked ahead of Woods in the
world standings, admits this is Tiger's World — and everyone
else will have to be content with a supporting role.
“Really, what else is there to talk about in the game of
golf right now?” Duval said. “It doesn't bother me.
If I was on the other side of this microphone, I'd be asking about
him, too.”
The Tiger Woods Invitational — uh, U.S. Open — begins
Thursday at Southern Hills Country Club, with the defending champion
an even-money bet to win his fifth major in a row.
No one else in the 156-man field is listed higher than 14-to-1.
This is essentially Tiger vs. the World, with the World knowing
it will take a major upset to prevail.
Woods is the first player to hold all four major titles at the
same time — the Tiger Slam — and that includes runaway
victories at the U.S. and British Open.
His streak has transcended golf, drawing comparisons to Joe DiMaggio's
56-game hitting streak and Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game.
Hardly anyone questions if he will win. The more pertinent query
seems to be how many strokes he will win by.
Ernie Els came the closest to putting up a fight, admitting that
such talk provides extra motivation to end the streak.
Of course, it came with a caveat from the two-time Open champion.
“I've got to believe that I've got a good chance of playing
well and winning this week,” the Big Easy said. “But
we're competing against a guy that's dominating a sport unlike
anybody else.”
Woods began transforming this four-times-a-year ritual into nothing
more than a Tigerfest even before his historic streak began.
After winning his first major at the 1997 Masters, Woods went
21/2 years before winning his second. He used that period to break
down his swing, shot by shot, still managing five top-10 finishes
in the majors. Borrowing from an Olympic swimmer, he tinkered
with the type of schedule that would allow him to taper his game
to the sport's biggest events.
“He focuses totally on the majors,” said Price, who
has won three majors himself. “It looks like he works his
schedule around the major championships, which is what Jack Nicklaus
and so many great players have done over the years. They want
to try to peak their games for the major championships, and he
has that uncanny knack of being able to do that.”
Last week, Mark O'Meara saw another side of Woods that keeps his
good friend a step above his rivals. This had nothing to do with
a golf club.
In a very short time, Woods has become an expert with a fly fishing
rod, which he demonstrated with nearly perfect loops on a Utah
river.
“He is an expert at processing information,” O'Meara
said. “He takes in only what can make him better and manages
to discard the old. He always wants to learn how to get better.”
That explains why the best player in the world spends more quality
hours refining his swing instead of celebrating where that swing
has brought him.
And that explains why Woods arrived at Southern Hills as such
an overwhelming favorite.
“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.”
Then he paused, sensing his remarks could be interpreted the wrong
way.
“Now, do I like my chances? Yes, I do.”
What's not to like?
The only tournament Woods has failed to win in the last three
months was the Byron Nelson Classic, when he returned from his
longest layoff of the year and showed signs of rust. He closed
with a 63 and tied for third.
When it comes to the majors, Woods has no peer. The opportunity
that awaits at Southern Hills is to become the first player to
win five in a row.
Bobby Jones won four straight majors — all in 1930 —
when they were the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Open and British
Amateur. Young Tom Morris also won four straight majors, but that
was from 1868-72, when the British Open was the only major.
“I'm not trying to win five, I'm trying to win one,”
Woods said. “Whatever I've done in the previous four majors
isn't going to help me hit any shots out here. I'm not going to
have an out-of-body experience and sit there and watch myself
hit a shot.”
Everyone else will be watching, wondering just what it takes to
catch a Tiger.
“The way to beat Tiger is to be perfect,” Garcia said.
“If not, congratulate him.”
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