Monday, September 11, 2000
Tiger steals the show once again
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
OAKVILLE, Ontario (AP) — Tiger Woods has a shot for every
occasion.
Pushed to the limits by an unlikely challenger, Woods completed
golf's great summer in style Sunday with a 6-iron from a fairway
bunker, over the water and right at the flag, to win the Canadian
Open by one stroke over Grant Waite.
“When pressure is at its peak, that's when your concentration
level is at its highest,” Woods said. “It builds to
a crescendo.”
Woods chipped from the back of the green to a foot and tapped
in for birdie to close out a 7-under-par 65 and his fifth victory
in seven tournaments this summer. Three of them were majors, one
of them gave him the career Grand Slam and all of them were filled
with unforgettable shots.
All five victories included some kind of scoring record —
15 under at the U.S. Open, 19 under at the British, 18 under at
the PGA and a 21-under 259 at Firestone.
Woods was 22 under over his final 49 holes and finished at 266,
the lowest 72-hole score in the 22 years that the Canadian Open
has been played at Glen Abbey Golf Club.
“I've had a wonderful summer,” Woods said.
He was nearly flawless on Sunday, and had to be. Waite, a runner-up
for the second straight week in Canada, matched him stroke-for-stroke
and put the pressure on with a 5-iron into the par-5 18th green
that left him a 20-foot eagle attempt that could have forced a
playoff or perhaps snatched a victory away from Woods.
“Grant forced my hand,” Woods said.
Woods went right at the flag, the ball landed about 18 feet behind
the hole. Waite missed his eagle try and had to settle for a 66
and one stroke short of winning, just like he was in Vancouver
last week.
“My goal was not to get too caught up in the hype,”
Waite said. “I gave him a run for the money.”
Indeed, neither player made a bogey and they combined for 13 birdies
to turn the final round into a memorable duel.
“The only way to beat him is to outplay him,” Waite
said. “Right now, that's a difficult task. He's an extraordinary
player who comes along once every generation — or his this
case, maybe once in forever.”
Woods won for the third straight time, and for the ninth time
this year, the most PGA Tour victories in one year since Sam Snead
won 11 times in 1950. He earned $594,000, giving him more money
in his last 38 tournaments — $14.9 million — than anyone
else in their career.
And Woods can now add the Triple Crown to the Grand Slam he completed
by winning the British Open at St. Andrews. He became the only
other player besides Lee Trevino in 1971 to win the U.S. Open,
British Open and Canadian Open in the same year.
Those are the three oldest national championships in golf, all
of them conquered by a 24-year-old who knows no limits.
And his knack for dramatic finishes has no end.
Woods had the outright lead for only six holes in the tournament.
He grabbed it for good on the par-5 16th with a 12-foot birdie
putt.
Woods pointed to the cup — a gesture that has replaced his
famous fist pump — as the ball disappeared to give him a
one-stroke lead with two holes to play.
With rain starting to fall, Woods missed his first green on the
17th, but managed to blast out of the bunker to a foot to save
par, a tremendous shot since he had so little green between the
sand and the flag.
And despite the pressure Waite applied at the end, Woods had an
answer — much to Waite's disbelief.
“The guy takes out a 6-iron, fires at the flag, with the
tournament on the line,” he said, shaking his head in wonder.
“I told him after we where through, 'You're not supposed
to do that. You're supposed to hit at the middle of the green.'
“He said, 'The shot was on.' I guess it was.”
Sergio Garcia, who beat Woods 1-up in their made-for-TV exhibition
last week in California, had a 67 but was never a factor and finished
seven strokes behind.
Waite stayed with Woods the whole day, but fell victim to the
50,000 people who crammed into Glen Abbey. The click of cameras
from the gallery distracted him on his drive on the 16th and it
flared out to the right, leaving him no chance to reach the green
in two.
He missed an 18-footer from the fringe, and Woods took advantage.
“If you make a mistake, he'll leave you,” Waite said.
Woods now has 24 tour victories in a career that spans just over
four years. And he gets a much-deserved break — taking the
next five weeks off before The Presidents Cup.
The only other time Waite had played with Woods was the 1993 Nelson
Classic, where they both missed the cut. Of course, Woods was
still in high school and so much has changed.
Woods, who became the youngest player to complete the Grand Slam,
has become the biggest star in sports and draws galleries more
suited for major championships everywhere he goes.
Waite's goal was to simple.
“Keep putting one foot in front of the other,” he had
said after the third round. He wound up going stride for stride,
and stroke for stroke, with Woods.
They were tied after nine, and remained that way, matching birdies
on the 13th and 14th. Neither player missed a green until Waite
found the fringe on No. 15, but both made pars.
Because three of the final six holes are par-5s — and no
one hits the ball as long as Woods — it figured to be only
a matter of time before he wound up a winner once again.
Waite gave him a stiffer test than anyone imagined, but was done
in by one bad swing on the 16th. Against Woods, that's usually
one too many.
DIVOTS: Waite was the only player to record four rounds
in the 60s.
... Because heavy rain was in the forecast, the “lift, clean
and place” policy was in effect for the final round.
... Frank Nobilo made a hole-in-one on No. 3, a 7-iron from 156
yards and won a 2001 Lincoln LS. It also helped him to a 67, his
best round of the year since his first round of the year (Hope
Classic).
... Derek Gillespie was the low Canadian, close with a 71 for
283. Mike Weir, who had never made the cut in nine previous Canadian
Opens, was 73-74 on the weekend and finished at 290.
... Woods is now 22-2 worldwide when he has at least a share of
the 54-hole lead.
Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address) of This Story
to A Friend:
|
