Tiger Woods’ Emotional Week At St. Andrews Ends Early
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The party was over before it even began. Tiger Woods’ first tee shot of the 150th Open Championship found the middle of the fairway but rolled into a fresh divot. Then: gust of wind, bounce into the burn, double bogey. That famous Mike Tyson quote came to mind. Everyone has a […]
Tiger Woods’ Old Course Return Started With A Bad Break
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Everything has led to this. The catchphrase plastered all over the Old Course signage this week refers to golf as a whole; St. Andrews being the birthplace and residence of the game, and this being the 150th playing of the Open Championship, this week does indeed feel like the culmination of […]
Tiger Woods’ Cut-Making 69 Was A Masterclass In The Art Of The Grind
TULSA — Tiger Woods fought because that’s what Tiger Woods does. He limped and he clawed, grimaced and grunted—and for what? For himself. Woods had zero to prove and little to gain from squeaking by the cut at this PGA Championship and trudging through two more excruciating rounds. A normal person would’ve taken a double […]
Tiger Struggles In Opening Round Of The PGA Championship
TULSA — The game has changed, but Tiger Woods’ strategy has not. His body and his personality have, but his strategy has not. Woods would’ve 2-ironed his way around Southern Hills on Thursday at the PGA Championship with two perfect legs, and he 2-ironed his way around Southern Hills on Thursday with two surgically rebuilt […]
Tiger Walks Away From Augusta With Hope
AUGUSTA, Ga. —The patrons formed a tunnel of pure adulation and serenaded their limping hero. Those who couldn’t elbow their way to high-five territory gathered just behind the press-only section, desperate to milk every last second of their proximity to Tiger Woods. Five greencoats mingled just outside the scoring area, looking for someone to chat […]
Woods’ Comeback Week Stalled Due To Putting On Saturday
AUGUSTA, Ga. — “Should” means diddly-squat in this game, but putting “should” be the easy part. There’s no pushing off required. No coiling, no side-bending, no need to move “ballistically,” as Tiger Woods put it Friday. Just let the arms hang loose, rock the shoulders, feel the speed with your hands. Plus, he’s spent countless […]
Tiger Woods Starts Friday Slow, Finishes Strong And Can’t Wait To See What The Weekend Holds
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National punched Tiger Woods in the face, which is pretty rude considering the state of his leg. Woods wobbled amid a three-club wind and got off to a putrid start during Friday’s second round: four bogeys in his first five holes, and the one par came on a par 5 he […]
Tiger Woods’ Heart And Mind Win Out In Gritty Return
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Had it been the 18th tee of Pebble Beach instead of Augusta National, the violent snipe-hook Tiger Woods hit would’ve dove into the Pacific. At Bethpage Black it would’ve careened into a vortex of bunkers. At Pinehurst, Woods might still be in the trees on a quixotic search for a punch-out window. […]
Tiger and His Son Finish In Second Place At The PNC Championship
ORLANDO — The switch flipped around the turn. Tiger Woods had been in hit-and-giggle mode for the previous two-plus days of the PNC Championship, content to play a few shots and crack a few jokes. Let us not forget that the man nearly lost his leg in February. But Tiger felt better from the moment […]
Tiger Woods’ Son Again Having The Time Of His Life Competing With His Dad
ORLANDO —This is Charlie Woods’ favorite week of the year. He’s the reason, it should be noted, that his dad is here. Tiger Woods cannot walk even a perfectly flat golf course right now. Tour-level competition is miles away. But he is here, wincing and carting and grimacing, because Charlie wants to be here. The […]
What We Saw And Heard In Tiger Woods’ First Public Round Back At The PNC Championship
ORLANDO — Lee Trevino never passes up a good joke opportunity, and this one was a layup. Fifteen grown men and two grown women bordered a walkway, at 7:15 in the morning on Friday, at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, to watch a 45-year-old man walk into a building. “Tiger’ll be here in just a minute,” […]
Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation Hits Notable Milestone As It Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — As far as golf goes, Riviera Country Club has not been friendly to Tiger Woods. At least, not as friendly as other golf courses—he does have a runner-up and seven other top-20 finishes at this kikuyu-covered gem, but he’s played 13 tournaments here and left without the trophy 13 times. It’s […]
Tiger And Charlie Woods Wrap Up A Special Week With ‘Memories For A Lifetime’
ORLANDO — They say every golf tournament has one winner and a whole bunch of losers. Whoever said that has clearly never watched Tiger Woods play golf with his son. “I don’t think words can describe it,” Woods said. “The fact that we were able to have this experience together, Charlie and I. It’s memories […]
Tiger Woods Beams After Playing With Son Charlie In PNC: ‘It Was Perfect’
ORLANDO — Let’s get this out of the way first: Charlie Woods is 11 years old. He could wake up next Thursday and decide golf is for nerds. (And his father, for the record, would be perfectly cool with that.) It’s vital to keep that in mind in the days and months and years ahead. […]
How Tiger Turned A 10 And A 76 Into An Inspiring Performance
AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s hard not to be romantic about the Masters. Narratives rule all in this business, and more than any other sporting venue, Augusta National seems a willing participant. It co-authors storylines. Jack raises his fist one last time. Phil gets the monkey off his back. Tiger pulls off the unlikeliest of comebacks […]
Tiger’s Mind Was Willing But His Body Wasn’t On A Taxing Saturday
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Watch the right knee. Not when he’s swinging—when he’s bending over. The more Tiger Woods’ right knee buckles as he picks up his tee or his ball out of the ground, the worse he’s feeling. Saturday was always going to be a test—a 3:45 a.m. wakeup, 25.5 holes with only an hour […]
Woods Loses Momentum, But Holds On To His Green Jacket Chances
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The scene wasn’t just set—it was straight out of a painting. Augusta National at Golden Hour. Perhaps the greatest player in the history of golf, wholly immersed in his craft. Hardly a breath of wind. A crowd of 40 or so people, at least 15 of whom have their own Wikipedia page, […]
Tiger Was Feeling It Thursday And You Didn’t Even Need To See His Score To Know
AUGUSTA. Ga. — The evidence hides in the margins. In the moments he’s not standing over the golf ball. Unless you’re blessed with bionic vision, Tiger Woods’ swings always look more or less the same—whether he’s contending or missing a cut. It’s what happens between shots that tells you how he feels. And, at 44 […]
Tiger Chokes Up Recalling His Incredible Victory At Augusta In 2019
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Every single thing Tiger Woods says or does is dissected with surgical fastidiousness. Such is the reality for a true icon of sport. And there is a general consensus that Woods has softened over the years in his interactions with fellow players and media. Gone is the single-minded competitor determined not just […]
Tiger Shoots A 74 In What Might Be His Last Competitive Round Before His Masters Defense
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — He’s on to Augusta. Okay, maybe Houston. And yet, there is still a big possibility that Sunday’s final round of the Zozo Championship was the last competitive round Woods will play before the Masters, where he’ll be keen to launch a more formidable title defense than he could muster this week. […]