Monday, September 11, 2000
Another victory, but never routine for
Tiger
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
OAKVILLE, Ontario (AP) — Winning is nothing new for Tiger
Woods or the massive galleries that come to watch. His victory
in the Canadian Open was his ninth of the year, the most on the
PGA Tour in 50 years.
It's the way Woods gets there that never ceases to amaze.
“Every week that Tiger plays, there's going to be one or
two shots that people talk about,” said Grant Waite, who
gave Woods a valiant challenge on Sunday at Glen Abbey and walked
away more impressed than anyone.
“I had a great seat,” Waite said. “I got to watch
all that.”
What he saw was Woods hit the most daring shot and pull it off
without breaking a sweat, a 6-iron from 218 yards, out of a bunker,
over water guarding the par-5 18th green, right at the flag, setting
up a routine birdie for a one-stroke victory.
There was also that 380-yard drive on Friday, that left him a
60-degree wedge into 18 and had players in the locker room talking
about it two days later. It all adds up to a dominance that continues
to stretch beyond the boundaries.
The legend of Woods grew a little more Sunday when he closed with
a 7-under-par 65, playing his final 49 holes in 22 under and setting
yet another scoring record.
So ended perhaps one of the greatest summers in golf. Woods won
five of his seven tournaments between the U.S. Open and the Canadian
Open. Three of them were majors, all of them involving scoring
records, all of them featured a shot that will be remembered for
years to come.
Woods finished at 22-under 266, the lowest score ever in the 22
years that the Canadian Open has been played at Glen Abbey. The
previous mark was 271 by Steve Jones in 1989. The Canadian Open
record is 263, by John Palmer in 1952 at St. Charles.
Woods also set a record of 12 under at the U.S. Open, 19 under
at the British Open, 18 under at the PGA Championship and had
a 21-under 259 two weeks ago at Firestone.
In the seven tournaments he has played this summer, Woods is 112
under par.
“This year has been a wonderful year,” Woods said. “I
guess I've gotten the good breaks at the right times. I've been
able to make those key putts at the right times, and consequently
I've put myself in position to win tournaments.”
It's not that simple.
Woods had to make everything in sight just to keep pace with Waite,
a 36-year-old from New Zealand who first played with Woods —
and outplayed him — in the Byron Nelson Classic. Of course,
that was 1993, when Woods was still in high school.
They started the final round Sunday tied for the lead, and remained
that way with three holes to play as storm clouds began to gather.
Woods finally pulled ahead when he made a 12-foot birdie putt
on the par-5 16th, pointing to the hole the way he did on the
16th hole at Valhalla in his PGA playoff victory over Bob May.
If there's a big putt to be made, Woods almost always rises to
the occasion.
“He's an extraordinary player who comes along once every
generation — or in his case, maybe once in forever,”
said Waite, who matched Woods shot-for-shot except for the one
that left him shaking his head.
Clinging to a one-stroke lead on the par-5 18th, Woods blasted
out of the bunker down the right side of the fairway and the ball
took its familiar flight — crisp and high, lost among the
gray clouds spitting rain, descending as the record crowd roared
with anticipation, then landing about 18 feet behind the hole
in the first cut of rough.
“When pressure is at its peak, that's when your concentration
level is at its highest,” Woods said. “It builds to
a crescendo.”
Woods' nine are the most PGA Tour victories in one year since
Sam Snead won 11 times in 1950. He earned $594,000, giving him
more money in his last 38 tournaments — $14.9 million —
than anyone else in their career.
And Woods can now add the Triple Crown to the Grand Slam he completed
by winning the British Open at St. Andrews. He became the only
player besides Lee Trevino in 1971 to win the U.S. Open, British
Open and Canadian Open in the same year.
Those are the three oldest national championships in golf, all
of them conquered by a 24-year-old who knows no limits.
And his knack for dramatic finishes has no end.
“The guy takes out a 6-iron, fires at the flag, with the
tournament on the line,” Waite said, shaking his head in
wonder. “I told him after we where through, `You're not supposed
to do that. You're supposed to hit at the middle of the green.'
“He said, `The shot was on.' I guess it was.”
Sergio Garcia, who beat Woods 1-up in their made-for-TV exhibition
last week in California, had a 67 but was never a factor and finished
seven strokes behind.
Next up for Woods: Nothing. He plans to take the next five
weeks off until The Presidents Cup, then finishes his year defending
titles at Disney, the Tour Championship and in Spain.
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