Tiger and Dad play to enthusiastic crowds on
damp day at Poppy Hills
By ANNE M. PETERSON / AP Sports Writer
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Upon teeing off Thursday in the
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Earl Woods drew just as
much enthusiastic applause as his famous son, Tiger.
"Way to go, Dad!" a fan yelled from the vast gallery,
more than three deep in some places along the fairway on the Poppy
Hills course.
Tiger and his father, paired with defending champion Mark O'Meara
and former AT&T chairman Robert Allen, played the back nine
at Poppy Hills in the rain-shortened first round of the tournament.
A brief shower brought out umbrellas in the gallery on the
opening hole, but for the most part, the sun beamed on father
and son. The greens were another matter: Saturated by an early-morning
storm, there were plenty of mushy spots. At one point, Tiger had
to tip-toe gingerly through the mud.
The weather and the course conditions didn't deter the fans,
however. Not the typical gallery, the crowd tailing Tiger and
his dad was loud and boisterous. One brought a stepladder to peer
over the heads of the other spectators.
"I don't really care that much about golf," said
Mary Louise Mills, 17. "I'm just hoping to get his autograph."
Wally Hernandez, 38, said the noisy crowd made it easy to locate
Tiger.
"Everybody's watching him. As soon as he came up here
to the practice range everyone followed him," Hernandez said.
"Corey Pavin has a big crowd, too. But nothing like this."
Even Fluff Cowan, Tiger's caddie, was inundated with requests
for his signature or a photo.
"Sorry, I've got a job to do," he told one fan.
Still, it wasn't quite the fan frenzy that dogged Tiger during
the tournament last year. Paired then with actor Kevin Costner,
the galleries were nearly unmanageable and Tiger was visibly annoyed
by the constant camera clicks and flashes.
He wanted the chance to play this year with his father, who
had to miss last year's tournament because of quadruple heart
bypass surgery.
Tiger is trying to cut down on the number of tournaments he
plays, but said he couldn't pass up an opportunity to play with
his dad and five-time tournament champion O'Meara, a close friend
and neighbor.
"Having Dad here, it's definitely more meaningful, there
is no doubt about it," he said. "I'm there with my dad
and I'm also there with one of my best friends."
Woods was coming off his greatest comeback as a pro. In the
Johnnie Walker Classic last weekend in Thailand, he made up an
8-shot deficit in the final round and defeated Ernie Els on the
second playoff hole.
Clearly the fan favorite on Thursday, hundreds of spectators
scrambled to catch a glimpse of the young athlete, following him
dutifully from hole to hole. Some, however, weren't up to the
battle.
"I'm impressed with his ability, but follow him around?
No way," Cesar Alcordo of Modesto said. "I would rather
avoid the crowds."
|
