Monday, August 28, 2000
Another romp for Woods
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods got stung by a wasp, had the
flu and finished the NEC Invitational in near darkness.
Normalcy was reflected only in the results — another landslide
victory, another record-setting performance.
In an otherwise ho-hum final round at Firestone Country Club on
Sunday, Woods somehow managed to put on a show when he hit an
8-iron within 2 feet for a birdie on the final hole.
“We could hear it,” Woods said of the roar from the
gallery that remained after a storm delay that lasted nearly three
hours. “We just couldn't see anything.”
This much is perfectly clear — Woods doesn't just win tournaments,
he wins those with the strongest fields. He doesn't just post
lower numbers, he sets scoring records.
Once his fever broke on the fourth hole and Woods eventually got
untracked, he closed with a 67 and finished at 21-under 259. It
was his lowest 72-hole score in his career, and broke the Firestone
record of 262 set 10 years ago by Jose Maria Olazabal.
He wound up 11 strokes ahead of Phillip Price of Wales and Justin
Leonard, the fifth time this year Woods has won by at least four
shots.
“I'm a better player than I was last year,” Woods said.
“And hopefully, I'll be better next year.”
A year ago, Woods won the NEC Invitational by one stroke over
Phil Mickelson for his fifth victory in eight starts. It was an
amazing feat, topped only by the fact Woods has continued that
pace the past 12 months.
Woods became the first player since Byron Nelson in 1945 to win
at least eight times on the PGA Tour in consecutive years. It
also was the third time this year Woods has successfully defended
a title, the first one to do that since Johnny Miller in 1975.
He has won three of the five World Golf Championship events, and
Sunday's $1 million pay check gave him more money in the last
two years than anyone on the career money list except for Davis
Love III.
Even more impressive about this victory is that Woods was coming
off an emotional taxing playoff victory over Bob May in the PGA
Championship, his third straight major to match the record first
set by Ben Hogan in 1953.
Letdown is not part of his repertoire. He started out with a 64,
tied the course record Friday with a 61 and never gave anyone
a chance. Ultimately, the only race was against time, and it turned
out to be the only close call.
Ordinarily, they would have returned Monday morning, but everyone
pressed on.
“Because of the lead I had, I think everyone just wanted
to get in and finish it,” Woods said. “If the tournament
was tied, I guarantee we would have stopped.”
Why bother? Woods led by nine at the start of the final round
and only Price and Hal Sutton, playing in the final group with
Woods, got any closer than five shots. Woods eliminated any drama
with a two-shot swing on No. 8 when he made a 12-foot birdie putt
after Sutton found the bunker and hit a thin shot off wet sand
across the green and made a bogey.
There were a few thrills. Stewart Cink and Retief Goosen each
made a hole-in-one, and Ernie Els made a double-eagle on the par-5
2nd when his 5-iron from 186 yards caught the slope behind the
hole and rolled back into the cup.
Woods, as usual, stole the show at the end.
While not motivated by records, he was inspired by his caddie.
Steve Williams' favorite number is 21, and he wanted Woods to
get to 21 under with a birdie on the last hole. When Woods asked
for a dry glove, Williams gave him one — but not before writing
“21” on it as a reminder.
It was an 8-iron from 168 yards, hit pure as can be. They couldn't
see where it landed, but they didn't have to with the roar that
came from the green.
“I've won majors, and he was not that excited,” Woods
said.
The way Woods finished another romp of a world-class field was
only fitting. As a kid, he and his father used to sneak on the
Navy course in Southern California at twilight and play into the
darkness.
“You have to call the shot you're going to hit,” he
said. “That's the only way you know where it's going to go.
It's right-hand side, two-yard draw, three-yard cut. That's the
way I grew up playing.”
That's what he does now, controlling his shots with such remarkable
consistency that he always puts himself in contention, and sometimes
makes a mockery of the rest of the field.
His last five victories have come in three majors, a World Golf
Championship event and the Memorial Tournament, which always gets
one of the best fields on tour.
Price, playing his first tournament in the United States, got
as close to Woods as anyone Sunday — five strokes. But he
bogeyed three of the last four holes and finished with a 69 to
slip into a tie for second with Leonard, who had a 66.
Both earned $437,500 from the $5 million purse.
“The experience I gained today was invaluable,” said
Price, a 33-year-old whose only victory came in the 1994 Portuguese
Open. “I'm ranked 75th in the world, so it's a big arena
for me.”
It's enough money for Price to earn playing privileges in America
next year, although he might want to think twice if Woods keeps
up this pace.
Next up for Woods: A clinic at Firestone in the morning, followed
by a trip to the California desert for his made-for-TV match-play
event against Sergio Garcia, an exhibition that pays $1.1 million
to the winner.
Woods got in some practice Sunday — he put on a clinic, and
made another tournament look like a mere exhibition.
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