A Tiger lurks in the Scottish mist
By RON SIRAK / AP Golf Writer
TROON, Scotland (AP) - If Tiger Woods needed any education
on playing in golf's birthplace it came in the cruel wind off
the Firth of Clyde and in the measured response of the fans at
Royal Troon.
Woods got his second look at Troon on a day when the wind blew
from the wrong direction, the steel-gray clouds swallowed from
view the Ailsa Craig, the 1,200-foot rock that towers above the
Irish Sea, and heavy rain washed over the course.
And he learned from the fans that while Tigermania is alive
and well in Britain, they are more concerned with his golf than
with his persona.
"I have noticed people here have been very respectful,"
he said, explaining they are less pushy about asking for autographs
than in the United States.
"Also, they don't cheer for shots that just get airborne,"
he said with a huge smile, appreciating the local savvy and gently
acknowledging the lack of understanding of many who follow him
at home.
While Woods has attracted millions of new fans to golf in the
United States, they are clearly Tiger fans - swept up in the aura
of a phenomenon - and not golf fans, some visiting a course for
the first time. These fans at Troon know golf.
The welcome surge in popularity in the United States has not
been without problems.
Galleries have clicked cameras at inappropriate times, talked
and moved when players other than Woods are hitting. Once, a crowd
in Phoenix knocked down Woods in a crush for autographs, accidentally
poking him under the eye with a pen.
"Yes, it can get hairy at times," said Woods, who
walked the course at Troon with four blue-jacketed private security
guards.
Woods seemed at home in Scotland where fans told to wait until
after the round for autographs politely nod their heads rather
than stalk off grumbling about the millions Woods is making.
"It has gotten to where they are not very respectful of
your space," Woods said Tuesday about American fans. "People
here have been very respectful, and that helps because then you
are able to concentrate and play."
"They understand you are not here just to sign autographs
and take pictures. You are here to play tournament golf."
A year ago at Royal Lytham, Woods surprised everyone - perhaps
even himself - with a 66 in the second round of the British Open
in an effort he said helped convince him he could play with the
pros.
This year Woods comes to Scotland ranked as the best player
in the world and sweeps ashore on the west coast of Scotland with
only a little less acclaim than he has received in the United
States.
He also sweeps ashore with a few tweaks in his game he hopes
will help him score in the fickle weather that rolls in off the
Irish Sea.
"I tried to get my plane a little better," Woods
said, explaining that the angle of his swing had gotten too steep.
"I am trying to get flatter. When that happens, my ball flight
comes down naturally."
A low ball flight is important at the British Open, where the
almost constant wind of the seaside courses makes the low road
the safest path to the green.
The bump-and-run shot is also crucial at a course such as Troon
because the greens don't hold high shots as well as the receptive
dart boards in the United States.
When a golf ball lands on the greens in Scotland it makes the
hollow "thunk" sound indicative of the sand-base greens
that swallow up water and never become very soft.
The best way to get the ball close to the hole is to keep it
on a low line under the wind, rolling it to the hole.
Woods also learned something else about Scottish golf on Tuesday.
Expect the unexpected.
The book on Troon is that the scoring holes are the first six,
and they almost always play downwind. Except for Tuesday, when
they played into the wind and the brutally difficult six closing
holes were playing with the wind.
Almost anything learned in that practice round was useless
if the wind blows its normal direction during the tournament.
But nothing could dampen Woods' clear joy to be in Scotland.
"Basically, this is the home of golf," Woods said.
"This is probably the biggest tournament to win in the world,
just because of the fact that it is definitely the world Open."
Woods' eyes grew wide and his smile broadened as he spoke of
the British Open.
"You get the best players in the world here," he
said. "And the traditions, and you play on traditional golf
courses, and that's what it's all about."
Golf. It's also what Tiger Woods is all about.
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