On the tail of a Tiger: Woods' win-or-else
drive puts PGA Tour on alert
By JEFF BABINEAU
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. - Tom Lehman is coming off a breakthrough season.
He won his first major (British Open), won the Tour Championship,
had 19 top-20 finishes in 22 events, captured the PGA Tour's money
title ($1.78 million), won the Vardon Trophy for low scoring average
(69.32), and walked off, not surprisingly, with the PGA Tour's
player of the year award.
He basically did everything but discover a cure for influenza.
A few days ago, the game's reigning top player was asked if he
were feeling any kind of a push from a young gunslinger named
Tiger Woods.
Then again, who's chasing whom?
"I kind of get the impression," Lehman said, laughing,
"that we're all chasing Tiger. I think that he's good for
the game. I think that people are aware of the fact that there
is a new kid on the block who is extremely talented.
"And they don't want to step aside."
Believe it or not, it was only seven months ago that Tiger
Woods, now 21, pulled into the parking lot at the Greater Milwaukee
Open and announced he was turning professional, passing up his
final two years of studies at Stanford University. You remember:
Hello, world. This week, he'll compete in his 13th PGA Tour event,
the Bay Hill Invitational presented by Office Depot, played at
Orlando's Bay Hill Club, where Woods won the 1991 U.S. Junior.
As for that world he once greeted? Well, today he not only
could afford to buy it, but could pocket some change.
In August, at his first press conference as a pro, Woods said
he was in Milwaukee to win the tournament, which seemed, well,
cute and admirable, if nothing else. His best finish in a handful
of previous professional events had been 22nd place.
Woods finished tied for 60th that week, and it appeared as
if he would have his hands full just finishing in the top 125
on the money list to earn a playing card for 1997. Instead, he
was showing just a tiny ripple in what would become a raging tidal
wave. A wave that has powerfully carried the popularity of the
game to a new level.
How little we knew.
In seven months, Woods has won three PGA Tour events, been
named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine, spent
time hanging out with Kevin Costner and Ken Griffey Jr., received
a welcome reserved for royalty in Thailand and attracted record
crowds at every tournament he has graced. Oh, we almost forgot:
Along the way, he has managed to overhaul the once-stodgy face
of golf, too.
The reported $57.5 million that Woods will make for endorsement
deals appears to be dime-store bargains for his companies, his
trademark Nike swoosh and 500-watt grin leaping from magazine
covers of numerous subjects. Golf Digest? Try Newsweek. Young
fans of diverse color line the ropes at tour events, trying to
see and touch their new hero, as do people of many ages who never
before could differentiate Floyd the golfer from Floyd the barber.
"The most interesting thing, to me, is how he has created
an interest in the PGA Tour among people who really don't play
the game, and don't follow the game, and haven't historically
watched," PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said.
"People are coming out and becoming interested because
of Tiger. That should translate into getting more people interested
in the game long-term, getting more people to pick up golf clubs
and try the game. Certainly, that's going to be the case among
kids, and among minority kids, in particular. From that standpoint,
he could have a long-term, very profound impact on golf. That
would be great."
But of Woods' many influences, perhaps most startling is the
impact he has had on the other members of the PGA Tour. His "win-or-nothing"
attitude - Woods' initial, dejected, unedited reaction to his
runner-up finish at Pebble Beach last month was, "Second
sucks" - clearly has rubbed off on others, some of whom once
were quite content to finish 10th, collect a check and head down
the road to the next city.
Not every player is like that, of course. But Woods has increased
the intensity of competition, driven many players to work harder
in the off-season and created a different atmosphere on Sundays
at the events he attends.
"I look around and see a lot of guys who are starting
to approach the game with a different mindset," said Winter
Park's Larry Rinker, who joined the tour in 1982. "I know
I did, and I was playing the minitours last fall. I'd get to an
event and say, 'What do I need to shoot to win here?' You say
to yourself, 'If that guy can think that way, then why can't I?'
"
Adds Mark O'Meara, Woods' neighbor at Isleworth and this season's
leading money winner, "There are a lot of guys out here who
feel like, 'Hey, I want to play well and make my money, keep my
card.' Those are important factors. But this guy wants to win,
and he wants to win badly. He's got that burning desire. He brings
that element in there, and it's convincing more and more young
players - shoot, every player - that when he has an opportunity
to win, he'd better try to win.
"You have only so many chances."
The overall level of play seems to have risen on the tour,
and many players are pointing toward Woods as the main reason.
John Cook shot 62-63 on the weekend at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic,
where Mark Calcavecchia shot 32 under par and (gulp) settled for
a runner-up finish. Steve Jones shot 26 under at the Phoenix Open,
a tournament record. A week later, O'Meara shot 20 under par at
Pebble Beach, another record, and held off Woods by a shot.
Woods has been fitted for greatness with the ease of being
fitted for a silk suit.
"I don't think that anybody coming in today would have
the career, the numbers, that I had, just because the competition
is so great today," said golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, who
owns 70 PGA Tour titles. "But he might. He's got a pretty
good head start."
Is Nicklaus as impressed with Woods? After a practice round
at the Masters last April, he predicted Woods would win more green
jackets (10) than Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer combined.
"I think it's an honor that he even said that," Woods
said Friday, almost bashfully.
However, not every player on tour is quite convinced that they
are hot on the tail of a Tiger.
"It surprises me to hear some of these players talk about
Tiger," Nick Price said. "I don't look to other players
for motivation. If you look to Tiger and then something happens
to him, what happens to you then? Maybe Tom (Lehman) feels that
way, but I certainly don't. Don't get me wrong. Tiger has 'wowed'
the golf world, and a lot of professionals, too. We envy him.
You're talking about a guy who can fly a golf ball 300 yards."
The story Billy Andrade likes to tell regarding Woods happened
at the Phoenix Open earlier this year. Woods was 10 shots out
of the lead heading into the final round, and ESPN on-course reporter
Robert Wrenn asked Woods if he would use Sunday's round to work
on some things for the following week.
Andrade picks up the story. "So Tiger looks at him and
says, 'Next week? If I shoot 55 tomorrow, I might have a shot
to win,' " Andrade said, his eyes filled with amazement.
"Fifty-five. And Robert had no comeback. I mean, what do
you say to that?
"This kid is 21 years old, and he's the best player in
the world. He's not happy with finishing eighth or sixth or second.
He wants to win. And he's pushing us all to think like that."
Said Brad Faxon: "The guys who want to be the best are
going to have to turn up the volume a little bit. This kid has
played better golf than a lot of people have in a long time. Will
he get better? That's a frightening thought."
Last month, a phone rang in the press room at the GTE Suncoast
Classic in Tampa, an event for senior players 50 and older. An
elderly woman on the telephone wanted to know if Tiger Woods was
playing. The answer was no.
But he will be eligible in 2026.
And who knows how he'll have changed the game by then.
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