Woods tries to end "slump" at Bay
Hill
By DOUG FERGUSON / AP Sports Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Times are indeed tough for Tiger Woods.
Never mind that he's had a chance to win all of the four tournaments
he has completed this year -- two seconds and a third before really
bottoming out two weeks ago at Doral by tying for ninth.
Ignore his PGA Tour rankings -- first in overall driving, second
in scoring, fourth on the money list, an average of $133,400 per
event.
The Masters is four weeks away, and Woods is still looking
for his first PGA Tour win of the year.
"I'm just hoping to peak at the right time," he said.
"I know I need to work on a few things, and I'm working on
them right now. But I've got to take care of two tournaments before
then."
The first one starts Thursday when Woods leads the best field
of the year in the Bay Hill Invitational, where tournament host
Arnold Palmer has ordered up thick rough and hard, fast greens
at Bay Hill Club.
Woods and defending champion Phil Mickelson are among 36 of
the top 50 players in the world at Bay Hill. Among those missing
are David Duval, who withdrew Wednesday, and Greg Norman, who
has decided to play only Doral and The Players Championship as
his prelude to Augusta.
Woods has won once this year, coming from eight strokes off
the lead on Sunday to beat Ernie Els in a playoff at the Johnnie
Walker Classic in Thailand.
His last PGA Tour victory came at the Western Open in July,
a streak of 13 starts.
A slump? Don't bet on it.
"I'm playing a lot better than I did last year at this
time," Woods said. "Last year I had great rounds, and
I had really bad rounds. This year has been pretty much an even
keel. If I keep doing that, improving and hopefully get a few
putts to fall in at the right time, who knows? I can start winning
again."
Woods didn't exactly roll into Augusta last year with a full
head of steam. He tied for ninth at Bay Hill a year ago, although
he was never in contention, then tied for 31st the next week at
TPC.
At the Masters, he rebounded from a 40 on his first nine holes
to win by 12 strokes in a record 18-under-par 270, took a month
off and then won again at the Byron Nelson.
Still, there's no substitute for confidence, and Woods would
like nothing better than to head to Augusta having won at least
once on the PGA Tour.
"It would help out a lot," he said. "I've been
right there in the hunt going into Sunday, or ended up in the
hunt. It would be nice to get that one win under your belt. But
if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. As long as my game peaks
in April."
This week figures to be a stiff test.
Bay Hill can be trouble in prevailing spring winds -- Woods
hit a driver and a 4-iron just to reach the 441-yard 18th hole.
And just in case the conditions are relatively tame, the greens
won't be.
"The thing I've tried to do is give the golfers a little
bit of a taste of what they're going to be seeing probably at
The Players Championship and the Masters, and that's some fairly
fast and hard greens," Palmer said.
"Barring rain, the golf course is going to play reasonably
difficult, maybe a little more difficult than it has over the
past couple of years."
Mickelson won last year by closing with a 7-under 65 to win
by three strokes over Stuart Appleby.
It was his first victory in Florida and seemed to put him in
perfect position to win his first major. What did Mickelson do?
Miss the cut at TPC and the Masters.
"Last year was a huge disappointment," Mickelson
said. "Coming off a win here, I really thought I'd carry
it into Augusta."
Divots: The second annual Palmer Cup, a match-play event between
U.S. college players and those from Great Britain and Ireland,
will be held Aug. 3-4 at the Old Course and the New Course in
St. Andrews. The United States won the inaugural cup last year
at Bay Hill, 19-5. ... The Palmer Golf Company on Wednesday donated
3,000 sets of bags and junior clubs to the First Tee program.
... Considering his back and limited practice time, Fred Couples
said he doubts he would play the U.S. Open or British Open if
he was not exempt. At age 38, he said his plan is to play a few
more years, then retire until he is old enough for the Senior
Tour.
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