Tiger will be Fluff-less; Singh knows his weakness
well
By JOEL STASHENKO / Associated Press Writer
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) - Tiger Woods will be without his trusty
sidekick, caddie Mike "Fluff" Cowan, for Friday's second
round of the Buick Classic.
Cowan is traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to attend the funeral
of Jeff "Squeeky" Medlen, Nick Price's caddie who died
of leukemia Monday.
Cowan will be replaced by his friend Tim Boardman, and Woods
said he will be missed.
"I'll go out there to take care of business, and I probably
won't ask Tim for advice on a club because he doesn't know my
game well enough to do that," said Woods, who shot a 1-over
72 on Thursday.
Woods said that in addition to being a close friend, Cowan
is the "best caddie in the world."
"If I ask him for advice on a club, he'll tell me straight
out," Woods said. "He has the guts to do that. And he
has the guts to call me off on a shot if the wind comes up or
if he doesn't think the situation is right. He's not a yes man
like a lot of caddies are out there."
Cowan has acquired a certain fame of his own since he started
carrying Woods' bag last year. On Wednesday, he was signing autographs
for fans near the practice green at the Westchester Country Club.
PUTTING PRACTICE? Vijay Singh is a success when he plays
in both the United States and overseas, but he knows what aspect
of his game he has to shore up if he is to enter the level of
elite players who compete every year for Grand Slam titles.
"I think I've got to improve on my putting," he said.
"It's not anywhere near where I want it to be."
The sorry statistics bear him out. His average of 29.39 putts
a round is 117th on the tour. His putt average on greens he hits
in regulation of 1.816 is 143rd.
"All winners are good putters," he said. "To
be consistently up there, you've got to putt well."
There are extenuating circumstances, however. Singh has long
battled back troubles, and he is sometimes not inclined to spend
hours hunched over his putter on the practice green.
"I have problems with my lower back when I practice putting
a lot - so I don't stay out there as long," he said.
MASTER MOTIVATION: Sometimes, the most insistent motivation
can be created in the depths of disappointment.
Jeff Maggert says something like that may have happened last
weekend at Congressional Country Club when Ernie Els emerged from
a tie on the final nine of the U.S. Open with himself, Colin Montgomerie
and Tom Lehman to win the championship.
"It probably was one of the most disappointing 30 minutes
of my career, the last few holes there," said Maggert, who
finished fourth at the Open. "But I tell you, when I woke
up Monday morning I don't ever think I've been more motivated
in my career to go out and play well and make something happen."
He was among the leaders at the Buick Classic after a 4-under
67 in the opening round.
As big a disappointment as the Open was, Maggert said there
was a point this year where he didn't expect to be playing in
that championship, let alone competing on the final nine. He missed
the cut four straight weeks on the tour from late March and late
April and had to retreat home to Woodlands, Texas, to regroup.
"I didn't feel like playing the rest of the year, to be
honest with you," Maggert said.
A turnaround came at the Colonial in May, where he finished
15th.
"From there up until right now I feel like I'm improving
just a little bit each week," he said.
Not that the Open won't linger in his mind.
"You battle your brains and your heart out for four days
and you play well and try to keep yourself in position and to
watch it just vanish like that - it's no fun," he said. "You
don't get too many chances to win the U.S. Open."
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