Sunday, August 27, 2000
Woods is always up to par,
winning
By Terry Pluto
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
AKRON, Ohio — Fourteen pars in a row.
Not exactly great golf, but just ask yourself
this, “How many guys can make 14 straight pars?”
Even pros.
How many of them can have 14 pars, which
is how Tiger Woods concluded the third round of the NEC Invitational.
Par. Par. Par.
Over and over and over.
In its own, methodical way, Woods posting
black number after black number was as devastating to the rest
of the field as the red numbers with which he started the day.
Par. Par. Par.
It served notice that Woods was not about
to fade, that he was smart enough to know that part of being a
great golfer is knowing when you're not playing great.
But here's the scary thing about Woods:
Playing what would be considered a very average round of golf
for him, he still shot 67, which is 3 under. It still was the
fifth-best round of the day.
That's the difference between the Woods
of today and a few years ago. It's knowing that there are times
when all he has to do is bare his teeth, he doesn't have to roar
and pounce to scare his fellow golfers right out of their spikes.
At 24, Woods is mature enough to understand
that there are days when good is good enough.
He knows racking up all those pars was like
jab after jab after jab — all well-placed, all demoralizing
to his opponents.
MASHED BY PARS
Just ask Phil Mickelson.
No, skip that.
Mickelson probably is not in much of a mood
to talk after his nightmarish escapades on the final two holes.
Here was Mickelson and the sweet southpaw swing that loves this
course. Firestone is where Mickelson won in 1996 and finished
second each of the past three years.
So when he was paired with Woods on Saturday,
he probably thought it would be his afternoon. And he picked up
a few strokes, cutting Woods' lead to 6 after the 16th hole.
Then, he bogeyed No. 17.
He DOUBLE-BOGEYED No. 18.
Woods went: Par. Par.
Just like that, the lead was back to 9 strokes.
And just like that, Mickelson felt like a man trying to push a
rock up a mountain, only to have it roll back down.
And flatten him.
In this case, he was mashed not by any spectacular
shots from Woods, but by the barrage of pars. Woods calls it shooting
for the fairways and greens, managing the course.
It comes down to being smart — and
the strategy continually applies pressure to the rest of the field,
like one of those headaches where it feels as if your skull is
in a vise and someone just keeps tightening it. Squeezing it.
Until it feels as if it's about to explode.
They keep waiting for him to slip, or at
least blink. How about dropping an iron in the water, or at least
driving one deep into the forest green.
Not Tiger.
Fairways and greens.
And pars.
With that, he ruled the day.
FLOP? NO WAY
Woods started yesterday leading this tournament
by 7 strokes. He was coming off a blistering 61 on Friday. Yes,
there were 36 holes left, but Woods knew it was over.
As long as he didn't mess it up. And he
didn't.
Here is a guy who has to be tired, no matter
what he says. His playoff victory in the PGA last week was draining,
given the fact that it was a major and Woods' goal EVERY year
is to win EVERY major.
After shooting a 64 on Thursday, the startling
61 on Friday. . .
Well, maybe, just maybe, he'd fade. He'd
flop. He'd at least take a deep breath at the wrong time.
Fat chance.
Not a guy who now has played his last 30
rounds at par or better, which is yet another PGA record.
That's as incredible as about anything he's
done.
Tiger Golf means he either plays good or
great.
But never bad.
And how many golfers can say that?
(c) 2000, Akron Beacon Journal
(Akron, Ohio).
Visit Akron Beacon Journal Online at http://www.ohio.com/.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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