Woods grows on and off the golf course
By RON SIRAK / AP Golf Writer
The shadows stretched across the Four Seasons Resort like fingers
on a hand reaching for the most difficult chord on a piano. As
the sun lowered, most of the activity was in the hospitality tents.
Only two people were on the practice putting green on Saturday
evening at the Byron Nelson Classic -- Tiger Woods and Jerry Chang,
a friend from his Stanford days who now travels frequently with
him.
Sitting silently nearby in a golf cart, basking in a fading
shaft of sunlight, was a hulking form of a man paying close attention.
Woods, with his hat turned around in the style of most any
22-year-old who should be just picking up his college degree,
was doing two things: He was working on golf; and he was having
fun.
Those two things have always gone hand in hand for Woods.
Clearly in the middle of a match, Woods winced when Chang rolled
in a long putt to win a hole. When Woods pushed a putt wide of
the cup, a voice from the golf cart bellowed: "Follow through
with the stroke."
The advice came from Earl Woods, who taught his son the game
even before he could walk and now hopes to see him become the
best golfer ever.
Barely more than a year ago that wish seemed unlikely. Not
that Tiger Woods would not become the greatest golfer ever, but
that Earl Woods would live to see it.
The elder Woods wore shorts as he sat in that golf cart. Visible
on both legs were scars from the operation in which veins were
removed and used for the quadruple heart bypass operation that
saved his life.
"Yeah," Tiger Woods said back to his Pop. "I'm
not finishing the stroke."
Then Chang called back: "Hey, no lessons in the middle
of the match."
Laughter all around.
This has been life for Tiger and Pop for more than 20 years.
Playing golf. Working on golf. Having fun with golf.
Several things were clear at the Byron Nelson Classic in Irving,
Texas. Woods is working on his game as hard as ever. He is much
more comfortable with his fellow players, the fans and the media
than he was a year ago.
And he is a better golfer.
Don't be mislead by the one PGA Tour victory compared to the
three last year at this time. He drives the ball straighter, has
better distance control with his irons and a somewhat more varied
game around the green. And he has become a more consistent short
putter.
"He's going to be scary how good he's going to get,"
Jim Carter said after playing with Woods on Saturday.
Nick Faldo says golf is not about the quality of one's good
shots but the quality of one's bad shots. Woods' bad shots are
way better than last year, which means he will give himself more
chances to win.
Then there is the fact that he is a year older. His maturity
shows not only in the more controlled way he plays but also in
how he interacts with others.
True, he still gets angry after a bad shot -- sometimes very
angry. And true, he displays annoyance at times with a good shot
that is not great. But he smiles more, acknowledges the crowd
more.
Woods also interacts much more with his fellow pros than he
did last year. He is much less likely now to take off 20 yards
ahead of his playing partners, walking with his eyes fixed straight
ahead. He is much more likely to talk and laugh with them.
Last year, for four unbelievable days, Woods' game came completely
together at the Masters in a remarkable display of his skills.
That hasn't happened yet this year, and it may not happen to
the degree that it did at Augusta very many times in his career.
But the feeling Woods exudes right now is that he is dancing
around his considerable ability, circling his skills and pulling
them together for another remarkable display.
"I had it going for a while," Woods said after he
made a brief run at the leaders Sunday at the Nelson.
Then he shook his head and smiled as he thought of what could
be.
"I'm really close," he said. "I hit the ball
good in spots and putted good in spots but couldn't do both together."
Perhaps that will happen next month in the U.S. Open at the
Olympic Club, a course Woods knows well from his days at Stanford.
Perhaps what we have seen from Tiger Woods this year was merely
a prelude for something wonderful, something that once again will
leave people shaking their heads.
|
