Woods has company among golf's elite
By RON SIRAK / AP Golf Writer
Words once written are frequently eaten, and there is a strong
possibility the ones that follow will be quite tasty a week from
Sunday at the Masters. But here they are:
Tiger Woods is currently the third-best player in the world
-- maybe fifth.
While Woods is a more patient, more mature and more complete
player now than last year at this time, he has gone winless in
14 consecutive PGA Tour events and since winning five of his first
16 starts on tour is 1-for-19.
Of course, it is a measure of his greatness that the issue
of "What's wrong with Tiger?" would even arise after
a 1-for-19 streak during which he had several second- and third-place
finishes -- career years for some players.
That this discussion can take place is also a measure of the
extremes to which Tigermania went last year. After Woods won the
Masters by 12 strokes, expectations grew way out of proportion.
Bookies in London had the chances of Woods winning the Grand
Slam -- something never done -- at a ridiculous 30-1, better chances
than the 33-1 odds they gave Colin Montgomerie on winning the
U.S. Open alone.
True, the temporary insanity of those expectations was triggered
by a remarkable streak of golf.
Beginning with the second nine at the Masters, Woods played
his next 197 holes a mindboggling 55 under par, shooting 10 consecutive
rounds in the 60s.
Woods played the final 63 holes of the Masters 22 under par,
was 17 under in winning his next time out at the Byron Nelson
and was 16 under par through 62 holes at the Colonial as he tried
to win his third consecutive event.
The magic ended on the ninth hole of the final round at Colonial
when Woods, faced with a relatively easy approach shot, dumped
it into the water in front of the green. He finished tied for
fourth.
But the real answer to "What's wrong with Tiger?"
is this: The other guys have gotten better.
Since that ball splashed into the water at the Colonial, the
Western Open in July is Woods' only PGA Tour victory.
During that time, Ernie Els has won the U.S. Open, the Buick
Classic and the Bay Hill Invitational.
Justin Leonard took the Kemper Open, the British Open and The
Players Championship and finished second in the PGA Championship.
Davis Love III has won the PGA Championship and the Buick Challenge.
David Duval won at Kingsmill, Disney, the Tour Championship
and Tucson.
And while Els and Leonard appear to have their games in high
gear going into the Masters, Woods was missing fairways, missing
greens and missing putts at The Players Championship, where he
ran his streak of consecutive rounds without breaking par to six.
Woods, however, insists there is no problem.
"I'm much more ahead of schedule than last year,"
Woods said. "Look at my record. Every Sunday I've had a chance
to win."
Basically, that's accurate. Woods finished second, third and
second in his first three events of this year. But in his last
three he has finished ninth, 13th and 35th -- not the kind of
momentum to take into Augusta.
"I'm not there yet," said Woods, who huddles with
his coach, Butch Harmon, in Florida this week. "But I'm close."
In Els, Woods has an adversary who not only has a perfect game
for Augusta National but also relishes the rivalry developing.
"I think Tiger should be regarded as the best player,"
Els said. "He's only 22 and he's probably going to get better."
But Els is playing with more fire than ever, and that fire
is fueled at least in part by his tussle with Woods for the top
spot in the World Golf Rankings, where Woods in No. 1 and Els
is No. 2.
"But I'm right up there," Els adds when he acknowledges
that Woods is No. 1. "And several other guys are right up
there. I'm 28 now and I've won two majors. So I feel like I belong."
Like Els, Leonard points out that he will be a thorn in Woods'
side for years to come.
"I am 25," Leonard said. "Hopefully, I am going
to be around for a long time."
It could very well be that Woods will wander into Augusta and
successfully defend his Masters title. It could even be that he
will duplicate his remarkable effort of last year.
But it would be way wrong to assume it is a done deal. After
all, right now Woods is the third-best player in the world --
maybe fifth.
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