Tuesday, July 17, 2001
Tiger still on for New Zealand Open despite
players' protests
By ROBERT MILLWARD
AP Sports Writer
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Tiger Woods still plans
to play next year's New Zealand Open despite a threat by fellow
players over the increased cost of ticket prices caused by his
appearance.
Michael Campbell is one of several New Zealanders and Australians
who have threatened to withdraw from the event, which Woods is
playing for the first time at the suggestion of his New Zealand
born caddie, Steve Williams.
Woods said he would talk to some players to get a measure of their
feelings.
“The players who want to do that, that is their opinion and
it is their choice to do whatever they still see as fit for themselves,”
Woods said Tuesday. “I understand what they are trying to
do.
“But we will see what happens. Until I speak with them, I
am going to hold my opinion. I am sure when I get a chance to
talk with them and hear their viewpoints, then I will probably
have a better appreciation of where they are coming from.”
He said it would not stop him from going.
“I am looking forward to getting down there and having a
lot of fun,” Woods said. “I am helping Stevie out. I
am going to give some money back to the golf institute in New
Zealand.”
———
BLINDFOLD TIGER: It may be Butch Harmon's way of psyching the
opposition.
But Tiger Woods' longtime coach says that the defending champion
could win the British Open again at Lytham St. Annes without even
seeing the bunkers and the greens.
Harmon believes that Woods is even better now than when he won
at St. Andrews last year by eight strokes during his run of four
straight majors.
“Even if you put a blindfold on Tiger this week he could
still win the title,” Harmon said. “He's that good and
in a different league to the rest. When Tiger is on his game,
no one can beat him. Even if the best players are at their top
level, Tiger has an extra gear which none of them have.
“He loves the pressure, he lives for it. He thrives on being
the man right in the heat of battle come Sunday. He lives for
the majors and is always hungry for more.
“His biggest strength is something you can't see — his
mind. He will fight you and fight you until you have nothing left.
That's why he's so good. People say Lytham is so tight that Tiger
can't use his driver and so his length is not a factor. But he
hits his irons further than anyone else so immediately that becomes
an advantage.”
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