Rivals attempt to bury Woods with praise
(KRT)
By Howard Richman
Knight Ridder Newspapers
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Call the CIA. A conspiracy just might be unfolding
inside the hallowed grounds at Augusta National Golf Club.
These guys named Ernie Els, John Daly and Tom Watson seem to
think Tiger Woods is the favorite to win his second straight Masters,
which starts Thursday. Somehow, though, you get the feeling they
called a secret meeting in the Crow's Nest and mapped out a plan
to make sure Woods thinks he's got this one in the bag.
Then, just when Woods three-putts here for the first time since
1996, Justin Leonard or David Duval will slip into the green jacket.
Praise for Woods reached epic proportions Tuesday. Next thing
you know, Jack Nicklaus will tell Woods he could win 30 Masters
instead of the 10 to 15 Nicklaus said last year would be for Woods'
taking. Heck, Greg Norman said Woods has turned the golf course
into a par-68 for himself while everyone else should be happy
just to reach the current standard of par-70.
"Will he be in contention? Definitely. Even if he doesn't
play very well," Els said with a straight face.
Listen to Daly.
"He (Woods) shot 18-under here last year. That's how good
he is," Daly said, never cracking a smile.
Watson never wavered when he mentioned Woods as the top contender.
"If he feels like he's playing well, feeling well, he's
going to win the tournament," Watson said. "With his
length, his advantage over the field, he probably feels pretty
confident."
Woods, though, has reasons to doubt himself. He has posted
six straight rounds where he failed to break par. And he hasn't
won on the PGA Tour in nine months, when he dusted the field in
the Motorola Western Open. Yet he sounded optimistic between practice
rounds.
"My last six rounds have been over par, but I've been
really close to playing great golf," Woods said. "At
the TPC, I was a little off. I wasn't that far off, though. My
putts were just burning the edges."
Then the topic shifted to the Masters, where Woods set a course
record last year by shooting an 18-under 270 in winning by 12
strokes. Woods admitted he hasn't worn the green jacket since
he won. But Woods does watch video of the event, checking his
posture, swing and positioning to see if it's changed. He said
it hasn't.
"I feel good. I'm hitting the ball well. Putting well.
I've putted well all year," Woods said. "I think this
year's much easier because I know how to win here. I think anytime
you defend, it's easier because you know what it takes."
Sounds as if the conspirators, if there really are any, have
Woods right where they want him. So do the fans.
"I'm out there all by myself at 7 o'clock Monday night,
and there's 1,000 people following me, screaming my name wanting
me to look this way, that way, for a picture," Woods said.
"That wasn't the case last year."
Speaking of last year, the Fuzzy Zoeller incident came up.
Woods tried to put it to bed.
"It's done. It's a dead issue," Woods said, referring
to Zoeller's comments about Woods serving fried chicken and collard
greens at this year's Champions Dinner. "We've (Woods and
Zoeller) talked about it. I've released a statement; he's released
a statement. It's one of those situations that it's sad it did
happen, but it's over with and we've all moved on."
Woods prefers to talk about defending his Masters title, which
is no simple task. It's only happened twice - Jack Nicklaus in
1965-66 and Nick Faldo in 1989-90. He promises it won't be easy.
The conspirators, if they truly do exist, hope he's right.
"Anyone who gets in this tournament deserves a spot,"
Woods said, "and they all can win, even the amateurs."
(c) 1998, The Kansas City Star.
Visit The Star Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.kcstar.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
|
