The hottest day I've ever experienced on a golf course was not at Southern Hills. It was the Wednesday before the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Ky. But this will tell you just how steamy it was Sunday in Tulsa:
1. For the first time, I saw Tiger Woods sit down to rest while playing.
2. I also saw, for the first time, Woods take off his hat and pour water over his head.
Woods is the best-conditioned athlete on the PGA Tour, and his fitness gives him a physical and mental advantage over the competition. To see him yield to the 103-degree heat (the heat index was about 110) tells you how tough it really was out there.
His performance at Southern Hills was remarkable, especially his 63 on Friday, which he called a 62 1/2. I said in my column after the British Open that no one had put himself head-and-shoulders above the field in the hunt for the PGA Tour's Player of the Year award. Woods has now done that. He's got four wins — including one major and one World Golf Championship event — and was tied for second place at the Masters and the U.S. Open. Unless someone wins at least two of the four Fed Ex Cup playoff events, and Woods fails to win any, I think he's a lock to win his ninth Player of the Year award in the past 11 years.
The real Woody Austin stood up, for himself
People may joke about his shirts and know him for being an emotional player who has smacked himself in the head with a club in frustration, but Woody Austin is an outstanding player. His performance at Southern Hills earned him not only a spot on the United States Presidents Cup team, but also a lot of respect.
I applaud Austin for his great play, especially on the weekend, and I think he grew up a lot at the PGA Championship. When a reporter asked Austin about his emotions, he stood up for himself, comparing his on-course behavior with Tiger's.
"[Tiger Woods] hits his drive on No. 5 on the same line I hit mine today — through the fairway to the right," he said. "What was the first thing he did? He slammed his driver onto the ground. That's his competitive fire, is what it's called. He's competitive. He is aggressive. If I do that, I am a loose cannon. I can't control myself. I'm not competitive?
"Why can he get mad more than me, but it's 'competitive fire,' as opposed to somebody who's too hard on themselves? I don't get it."
In that moment, Woody Austin took control of his own destiny and called out an obvious double standard. In that press conference Austin basically said to the world, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore."
Don't let his emotional outbursts sway you into thinking that Austin can't get it done. He backed up his words in the media center with good golf on the course. If Austin, 43, continues to work hard, he could contend in a major again.
