Monday, August 28, 2000
Four years after turning pro, Woods brings
star power to golf
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem saw
the star power in golf at Firestone Country Club. Not this week,
but before Tiger Woods even turned pro.
Finchem remembers when the world-class field that gathered at
Firestone in late August would finish their rounds, duck into
the clubhouse for lunch and tune in to the U.S. Amateur to see
a young man from Stanford chase history every time he teed it
up.
Woods rarely disappointed, just like now.
“I sat here at the World Series of Golf three years in a
row and watched our players — we had two TV sets — watch
this kid win the U.S. Amateur every year, particularly the year
he won at Sawgrass,” Finchem said.
“So, the question was ... was he going to do it quickly?
Was he going to take a long time? And how good was he going to
be?”
The answers: Yes. No. Maybe the best ever.
What they saw in the years before Woods joined their ranks was
a skinny kid who could generate an unbelievable amount of clubhead
speed, hit the ball some 50 yards farther than anyone else, and
finish with a flair that brought vitality to the Royal & Ancient
game.
Not much has changed, except that Woods is even bigger, stronger,
better.
He proved that once again Sunday in the NEC Invitational, the
new name for the old World Series, winning another World Golf
Championship, this time by 11 strokes. In the process, he broke
the Firestone scoring record for 72 holes with a 21-under 259,
which was also his personal best.
It came one week after Woods had to rally with birdies on the
last two holes to get into a playoff, then beat Bob May in the
PGA Championship for his third straight major.
Sometimes, Woods has to sweat. More often, this is turning into
a breeze.
Not only has Woods won eight of his 16 PGA Tour events this year,
five of those victories have been by at least four strokes. Only
four other players — David Duval, Phil Mickelson, Paul Azinger
and Loren Roberts — have won on tour by that big a margin
over the last two years.
“If you get a good player with an inordinate amount of confidence,
you can't wait to get to the next hole,” Greg Norman said.
“There's not a shot you can't execute.”
The only question is whether such dominance is good for golf.
Everyone loves a rivalry, but it has been difficult to find one
for Woods. Still, Finchem has few complaints.
“Right now, there are no negatives,” he said Sunday
morning, a few hours before Woods took a nine-stroke lead into
the final round at Firestone. It was the fourth time in his last
seven tournaments that Woods had led by at least six shots after
54 holes.
“People are as interested in watching him challenge records
as they are watching him challenge the rest of the field,”
he said. “They're fascinated by a guy who can separate himself
from the best players in the world. If he does it six or eight
times a year for the next five years, at some point do people
get bored? Maybe. That's not the case right now.”
No record appears safe. Nothing seems out of reach, especially
considering the anniversary celebrated on Sunday.
The final round of the NEC Invitational came exactly four years
to the day that Woods, fresh off his record third straight U.S.
Amateur title, turned professional at the Greater Milwaukee Open
with a simple statement, “Hello, world.”
In four years, Woods has:
— Won 23 times on the PGA Tour, which ranks 22nd on the all-time
list and is more than any other active player not on the Senior
Tour.
— Won four of the last five majors. He became the first player
since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three in one year, and while his
five majors are a long way from Jack Nicklaus' 18, only Nick Faldo
among active players has won more.
— Become the youngest player, at 24, to complete the Grand
Slam.
— Gone over $19 million in career earnings with his $1 million
payoff at Firestone. In the last two seasons alone, Woods has
won more money than anyone else has in a career except for Davis
Love III.
— Put together the longest PGA Tour winning streak since
Ben Hogan in 1948.
— Became the first player since Byron Nelson (1944-45) to
win at least eight tour events in consecutive years.
Is this where Woods imagined he would be in four years?
“I felt like I would give myself a chance to win that many
majors, probably more,” Woods said. “I've been very
fortunate to have been able to win that many times, but I always
felt like my game was good enough to put myself in that position
to win.”
Woods also has impeccable timing — for himself and the tour.
He can make even the runaway victories exciting, with shots such
as his 8-iron into 2 feet for birdie on the last hole Sunday in
near darkness.
And while the PGA Tour took advantage of his watershed victory
in the '97 Masters to negotiate a new television contract, look
what it has now. Talks start next summer for a new four-year deal,
and Woods popularity — as well as golf's ratings — have
never been higher.
“He's gotten bigger and stronger every year in terms of impact,”
Finchem said. “It hasn't stopped. He's driven the interest
of the game to an all-time level.”
And just think. Woods might still be warming up.
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