Balanced Tiger comfortable with every aspect of game
Tiger Woods continued his preparation Tuesday for the 77th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. On another sun-drenched day, he practiced, met with the media, practiced some more, then played the front nine with Fred Couples and Jason Dufner.
“The golf course is in fantastic shape,” said Woods, who is making his 19th start in the tournament and has four wins, 10 top-fives, 12 top-10s and boasts a scoring average of 70.87.
Tiger arrived last Sunday and played about 16 holes with Steve Stricker. He played the back nine Monday with Dustin Johnson and 14-year-old amateur Tianlang Guan of China, the youngest participant in the history of the tournament. Afterward, Tiger and Guan putted together on the practice green, and Tiger signed his hat for him, drawing cheers from the patrons.
Woods met Guan two years ago in China during a Nike-sponsored “Make It Matter” tour. Tiger conducted a clinic and played a few holes with Guan, who made a great first impression.
“He’s an amazing talent and he’s not even on his high school team yet,” Woods marveled.
Not only that, he’s too young to drive down Magnolia Lane, though Tiger thinks Guan has unlimited potential. The latter won the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
“He asked me a lot of questions about the course,” said a smiling Woods. “I asked him questions about school.”
As for the state of his own game, Tiger enters the Masters having won three of five PGA TOUR starts this season and has regained No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since late October 2010. He’s won his last two starts — at the WGC-Cadillac Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational — and has broken par in his past eight competitive rounds.
“I feel very comfortable with every aspect of my game,” he said. “The wins show that.”
Informed that he seemed relaxed and happy, Tiger replied, “Life is all about having a balance. I feel very balanced.”
The 37-year-old Woods has not won at Augusta since 2005, though he has come close every year but last year, when he tied for 40th. This after winning three of his first six starts as a professional at the Masters, the first by a record-breaking 12 strokes in 1997 at age 21.
“I’ve been in the mix,” said Woods, who owns 14 major championships and 77 PGA TOUR titles. “Unfortunately, I haven’t got it done. Either I have not executed, not made enough putts or didn’t take care of the par-5s.”
He’s also never won a major with a goatee, something he was sporting Tuesday.
“It takes a long time for this thing to grow,” he joked. “A LONG time.”
Asked if he felt added pressure to win this week, Woods reminded the media that Jack Nicklaus didn’t win his record 18th major title until he was 46.
“We have very expansive careers, and I feel like I’m basically right in the middle of mine,” Woods said. “I have a lot of good years ahead of me, and I’m excited about this week.”
Tiger reiterated that catching and overtaking Nicklaus’ 18-major mark continues to drive him. However, it’s not the end-all.
“If I do, I do,” he said. “At least I tried. If I don’t, so be it.”
On Tuesday night, Tiger will attend the annual Champions Dinner, restricted to former winners, in the clubhouse. Defending champion Bubba Watson will host and has picked out the menu.
“The stories are incredible,” Woods said. “The needling that goes on is non-stop.”
On Wednesday, Tiger will hit balls on the practice range, work on his short game, then leave early to rest for Thursday’s first round. He’s scheduled to tee off at 10:45 a.m. ET with Luke Donald and Scott Piercy. The trio will also play together Friday starting at 1:41 p.m. ET.
There are 92 players in the field, including six amateurs. The tournament will be broadcast to 200 countries.
