Tiger Woods delights fans with Nelson victory
By Bart Hubbuch
The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Nothing had prepared Tiger Woods for what he
encountered Sunday afternoon on the 18th fairway of the GTE Byron
Nelson Classic.
As the 21-year-old golfing sensation approached the green,
his fourth 1997 victory and a check for $324,000 wrapped up, the
cheers and shouts of encouragement from the record-setting crowd
overwhelmed him.
With his mother, Tida, looking on and Sarah Ferguson, the former
Duchess of York, sitting next to her, Woods proceeded to finish
with a 2-under 68 for the day and 17-under overall, beating virtual
unknown Lee Rinker by 2 strokes.
If Woods was unsure about the intensity of Tiger Mania, four
days in Irving made it perfectly - and at times ear-splittingly
- clear.
"I have never, ever seen galleries like this in my entire
life," Woods told the crowd afterward. "It was phenomenal."
Woods chose the same superlative many used to describe his
play throughout the four-round event. In his first tournament
since romping to a 12-stroke victory at the Masters four weeks
ago, Woods was steady throughout and at times spectacular.
And the overflow crowds savored every moment of his memorable
performance, raucously cheering after each shot and rewarding
him with standing ovations on each of the final three holes Sunday.
Tournament officials estimated the final-round crowd at 85,000
and said the entire tournament drew 260,000 to the Four Seasons
Resort and Club at Las Colinas. Both figures set records for the
30-year-old event.
"We're just ecstatic," said Todd Meier, president
of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which plays host to the tournament.
"The crowds, the weather, the hottest player in golf winning
the tournament. We couldn't have asked for anything better."
Woods, who turned professional just last year and is expected
to sign a multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with MasterCard
on Monday, won his fourth tournament of the 1997 season and his
fifth in only 16 PGA Tour events. He has earned $1,290,350 this
year.
But money appeared to be the last thing on Woods' mind as he
made his victory march to the 18th green Sunday.
A smiling Woods tipped his cap repeatedly to each side, waved
at some fans and pumped his fist at one point. After his drive
off the tee on No. 18, the applause didn't stop until marshals
asked for quiet as he approached each subsequent shot.
"It kept getting louder and louder and louder as I approached
the greens," Woods said.
But while boisterous, the galleries - which included a mixture
of races and seemingly thousands of people attending their first
golf tournament - were praised by Woods for their behavior.
"If this is what they call Southern hospitality, then
I sure like it," said Woods, who will return to the area
later this week to play in the MasterCard Colonial in Fort Worth.
"See ya'll next year."
Woods, an international sensation since becoming the youngest
player to win the Masters, rewarded the crowd with a mixture of
dramatic shots, friendly waves and toothy smiles.
After sinking a short putt to end the tournament, he pumped
his fist before hugging both his mother and Ms. Ferguson, who
was there as a guest.
Woods was presented with the Nelson trophy and the winner's
check by Byron Nelson on the 18th green. The 85-year-old Nelson
praised Woods for his demeanor before noting that the $324,000
first prize was more than twice what Nelson earned in his entire
legendary career.
"You can sure play some golf," Nelson told Woods.
Nearly 90,000 sun-drenched fans on a breezy afternoon couldn't
help but agree.
(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.
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