In the
final round he came back with an airtight
65 to storm to one of the more memorable
victories of his career.
Last Saturday at Bay Hill, Woods looked like a different player, which is to say, he looked like himself. He birdied three of the first four holes to announce his intentions, looking increasingly comfortable on greens that got faster as the week wore on. On the 15th hole he hit a quintessential Tiger shot, carving a four-iron around a stand of trees to within two feet, and he stuffed his approach on the next hole too.
Woods's 66 got him back in the tournament, but it took a comedy of errors to propel him into a share of the lead.
It long ago became an accepted fact around the Tour that other players start gagging as soon as Woods's name appears on the leader board; the only difference at Bay Hill was that it happened on Saturday instead of on Sunday.
Singh seemed to have control of the tournament until Woods climbed into contention, at which point the big Fijian played a four-hole stretch in five over par, dumping three balls into the water along the way.
This opened the door for Nick Watney to shoot into the lead with an eagle on the 12th hole, his second big bird of the round. Watney gave back those four shots with a quadruple bogey on the 16th hole. Watney ceded the lead to Bryant, who immediately splashed his approach on the 16th.
Woods was suddenly atop the leader board and heading into the final round was tied with Bryant and three others.
The bad news for them: Of the 45 previous times that Woods had at least a share of the 54-hole lead, he closed the deal 42 times.
Looking ahead to the final round, coleader (and Tiger's frequent practice- round playing partner) Bubba Watson said, "No matter what he does, it's going to be incredible, and it's going to be unbelievable."
When Woods birdied the 2nd hole on Sunday to nab the solo lead, the outcome seemed preordained, especially once he buried sizable putts to save par on the next two holes. Woods has been putting out of his mind for months, and it's not by accident.
"His putting is a lot better this year because he has worked hard on it," says Haney.
In recent years Woods has spent so many hours grooving his swing changes that his putting suffered ever so slightly.
"He has always made the pressure putts, but he's much more consistent now," says Haney, noting that Woods had only one three-putt in his first 14 rounds this year. "That's pretty damned good, especially when you consider all the putts he's making."
Last Saturday at Bay Hill, Woods looked like a different player, which is to say, he looked like himself. He birdied three of the first four holes to announce his intentions, looking increasingly comfortable on greens that got faster as the week wore on. On the 15th hole he hit a quintessential Tiger shot, carving a four-iron around a stand of trees to within two feet, and he stuffed his approach on the next hole too.
Woods's 66 got him back in the tournament, but it took a comedy of errors to propel him into a share of the lead.
It long ago became an accepted fact around the Tour that other players start gagging as soon as Woods's name appears on the leader board; the only difference at Bay Hill was that it happened on Saturday instead of on Sunday.
Singh seemed to have control of the tournament until Woods climbed into contention, at which point the big Fijian played a four-hole stretch in five over par, dumping three balls into the water along the way.
This opened the door for Nick Watney to shoot into the lead with an eagle on the 12th hole, his second big bird of the round. Watney gave back those four shots with a quadruple bogey on the 16th hole. Watney ceded the lead to Bryant, who immediately splashed his approach on the 16th.
Woods was suddenly atop the leader board and heading into the final round was tied with Bryant and three others.
The bad news for them: Of the 45 previous times that Woods had at least a share of the 54-hole lead, he closed the deal 42 times.
Looking ahead to the final round, coleader (and Tiger's frequent practice- round playing partner) Bubba Watson said, "No matter what he does, it's going to be incredible, and it's going to be unbelievable."
When Woods birdied the 2nd hole on Sunday to nab the solo lead, the outcome seemed preordained, especially once he buried sizable putts to save par on the next two holes. Woods has been putting out of his mind for months, and it's not by accident.
"His putting is a lot better this year because he has worked hard on it," says Haney.
In recent years Woods has spent so many hours grooving his swing changes that his putting suffered ever so slightly.
"He has always made the pressure putts, but he's much more consistent now," says Haney, noting that Woods had only one three-putt in his first 14 rounds this year. "That's pretty damned good, especially when you consider all the putts he's making."
