Tuesday, July 18, 2000
St. Andrews offers lots of chances for
Woods
By BOB HARIG
St. Petersburg Times
The most famous golfer in the world is set to take on the most
famous course in the world.
Even before he dismantled Pebble Beach and the field at last month's
U.S. Open, Tiger Woods was viewed as a strong favorite at the
British Open, to be played this week at the Old Course in St.
Andrews, Scotland.
Most analysts agree no course fits Woods' game quite like this
one.
Difficult conditions, always a possibility at a seaside links
course in the United Kingdom, would give Woods a grin from ear
to ear. He has proved he has all the shots, even the low, boring
ones necessary in a strong wind, and would be up to the challenge.
And Woods' length off the tee is another advantage. Though his
ability to hit the long ball helps him at most courses, it is
not always such a help on difficult major championship venues
that have narrow fairways and high rough. Sometimes, the driver
is taken out of his hands, and he is forced to play conservatively.
Not at the Old Course. It has some of the widest fairways in golf
and his length will allow him to hit shorter irons into difficult
greens. And many of the troublesome pot bunkers that dot the course
and swallow drives 250-280 yards away will be no problem for Woods.
In an effort to make some of those bunkers come into play, the
course was lengthened some 200 yards for the championship, to
7,115 yards. Again, no problem for Tiger.
“That plays into the hands of the long hitters,” Nick
Price said. “Tiger won't even have to think about the bunkers.
He will fly them while we have to manipulate the ball around the
bunkers.”
St. Andrews is the home of golf, considered to be its birthplace
some 500 years ago. Originally, it had 22 holes, 11 out and 11
back. It was scaled to the regulation 18 holes in 1764, and the
routing remains basically the same.
A par-72, the course has just two par-3s and two par-5s, one on
each half.
Here is a look at a few of the holes Woods could dominate.
Given a proper helping wind, Woods should be able to drive the
green on three of the par-4s: the 356-yard ninth, the 314-yard
12th and the 357-yard 18th.
NO. 9: Except for two bunkers that separate the ninth from the
10th hole and some heather that runs the length of the left-hand
side of the hole, this definitely is a birdie hole. Even if Woods
lays back, he should have a short pitch to the green.
NO. 12: Woods will not be the only player trying to drive the
green on this hole. As far back as the 1930s, top players were
knocking it on this green. Perhaps it will be more difficult for
Woods to hold the green than hit it. The only trouble is a small,
but deep, bunker 15 yards short of the green and a steep slope
that protects the flag.
NO. 18: The home hole offers a perfect line off the tee, the Royal
and Ancient clubhouse clock. Woods doesn't even need that to hit
the huge green.
That's not all. If the weather is favorable, the 380-yard 10th
will be reachable, although a ridge protects the front and the
green slopes away to the right. This hole has been lengthened,
making it more difficult to reach. And don't discount the 400-yard
third and the 416-yard sixth if the wind blows from the proper
direction.
That makes three par-4s Woods can drive the green, with another
three that are possible.
And that doesn't take into consideration the par-5s, the 564-yard
fifth and the 567-yard 14th. There is more trouble to negotiate,
to be sure. The 14th has the famous “Hell Bunker,” where
Jack Nicklaus got stuck in the '95 Open. But both of these greens
are reachable in two for Woods.
So Woods could have the opportunity for two-putt birdies on as
many as eight holes. What if he has that possibility on just four
of them? That effectively turns par into 68 for Woods each day
— without taking into account 10 other holes that he will
certainly have the opportunity to birdie.
Nothing is certain, however. Woods proved that last week at the
Western Open where his putting was spotty and he had his worst
finish of the year, tied for 23rd. No matter how well a course
sets up for his game, he still has to get the ball in the hole.
If he does, look out.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com.)
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