Monday, November 15, 1999
Woods' winning streak ends in Taiwan
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press Writer
TA SHEE, Taiwan (AP) — His four-tournament winning streak
over, Tiger Woods walked off the course after finishing sixth
at the Johnnie Walker Classic.
And he didn't feel like talking about it.
Woods, completing one the great years in golf, had won eight
of his last 11 tournaments. But he putted poorly all week and
his game deserted him entirely on the front nine Sunday, allowing
Michael Campbell of New Zealand to win for the first time since
1995.
“Tiger, he's a freak of nature,” Campbell said. “I
mean Tiger is so phenomenal it's frightening. The only way we
can defeat Tiger is for him to make mistakes.”
Woods entered the day four strokes off the pace and finished
five strokes behind in the $1.3 million event, which is not part
of the PGA Tour.
Last year, Woods made an outstanding comeback to beat Ernie
Els and win this tournament. This time, Campbell persevered and
won by a stroke, shooting a 2-under 70 for a 276 total. Woods
closed with a 71 for a 281 at Ta Shee Golf and Country Club.
Campbell, who earned $215,330, played so badly in 1996 and
1997 he considered leaving golf.
“It's just unbelievable,” he said. “It's been
a long frustrating last four years.”
Geoff Ogilvy of Australia came in second, finishing with a
68 for a 277 total. Els of South Africa was third at 68-278.
Woods committed all sorts of errors Sunday. First, he hooked
his drive on the sixth hole into the rough and down a gully beside
a hedge, forcing him to take a stroke.
“I want all these people out of here,” a scowling
Woods told marshals as he charged through the gallery to find
his ball and ended up with a double bogey.
Then, on the eighth hole, things got worse. He drove into the
rough, hit his recovery shot into the water and took three putts
for a triple bogey.
Campbell's victory didn't appear secure until the last few
holes. He had started strongly, with birdies on the first two
holes and another on the sixth. On the seventh hole, however,
he wound up in a sand trap and took a double bogey.
“That was my disaster hole,” he said.
With Els and Ogilvy in pursuit, Campbell was in a threeway
tie for the lead on the 14th hole. But bogeys by Els and Ogilvy
put him in the clear.
“Initially, I was disappointed,” Ogilvy said. “I
felt I played good enough to maybe have a chance to win.”
Els, who won this event in 1997 when it was in Thailand, had
trouble again on the 16th hole. He had a bogey there Sunday and
a double bogey Saturday.
“Yesterday, I said it was a ridiculous hole,” he
said. “And I still say that.”
Vijay Singh was fourth at 68-279, followed by Peter Senior
at 67-280.
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