Aug12 USPGA Woods wins No. 13
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Woods did it, but it wasn’t the procession we had all anticipated.
He ties with Bobby Jones on 13 majors (five short now of Jack Nicklaus’s record) but both Woody Austin and Ernie Els made a run at him on the back nine on Sunday, and he felt them breathing down his neck.
“I just kept telling myself I was still ahead,” he said. “When I bogeyed the 14th, there was some serious yelling at myself as I made my way to the 15th tee. Once I made that putt [for birdie] on the 15th, I felt back in control of the tournament.
“I’m a far better player than I was in 2000. Other guys have improved and it’s got that much harder to win a major. If you had told me when I turned pro that 12 years into my career I would have won 13 majors, I wouldn’t have believed you. I have exceeded my own expectations, but I’m not against that.”
Tiger went on to explain that this major felt very different from all the others, because his wife Elin, and little baby girl, Sam, were there to see it. “This was a feeling I’ve never had before. It’s so much more special than the others. Last year’s British [Open] was special, but for different reasons [his father had just died]. Any year that you win a major is a great year and this is now a great year.”
Above all, Tiger showed that he is the best in the business at making slight alterations to his swing in order to overcome problems. He readily admits that at Carnoustie he was not swinging it well, and ever since has been working on getting a cleaner strike at the ball. Everything clicked last week, when he blew the field away at the WGC event and won by eight shots.
What makes this performance especially disheartening for all those chasing Tiger is that everyone said beforehand this course had too many dog-legs and didn’t suit him. What is patently clear is that as well as being the best putter and the best short-game player in the business, he is also better than everyone else with his mid-irons. When Tiger plays well, he wins. Fact. When Tiger plays great, he wins by 8.
Asked what memories he would take away from Tulsa, he said three things. “The consistency of my ball strike, shooting 63 in a major and having Elin and Sam here to witness events.”
