Tiger Woods ready-or-not for 2011 U.S. Open?

Tiger Woods

Remember when Tiger Woods finished off Rocco Mediate in a playoff at the 2008 U.S. Open? He hobbled around the course wincing in pain from a torn ACL in his right leg. Prior to that, Woods won two additional U.S. Open tournaments, in 2000 and 2002, in both cases being the only golfer to score under par!

 

Ahh, the good old days of the Tiger Woods mystique, when fans thought him to be an alien, a great guy and basically the most winningest golfer who one day would take more events than, and could be in line for, Jack Nicklaus' vacated throne.

 

Then came the downfall and both Tiger Woods and the game of golf suffered immeasurably. Woods' comeback and attempt to win the 2010 US Open failed as he remained within reach but struggled for fourth place, a 4-over par score of 75, to tie with Phil Mickelson who grapples year-after-year with his own demons to conquer the US Open.

 

Fast forward to May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, and Tiger Woods' Terminator-esque video statement, "I'll be ready!"

 

A precautionary walking boot on a "minor injury", a "grade 1 mild medial collateral ligament sprain to his left knee and sprain to his tendon has sidelined the former number-one golfer in the world to opt-out of this week's Wells Fargo Tournament,  

 

"I personally contacted tournament officials and expressed my regret in not being able to play," Woods said. "This is an outstanding event, but I must follow doctors' orders to get better."

 

A consideration as to whether or not Woods will enter the Players Championship or sit on the sidelines until the next major currently depends on his physical recovery but, with gossip mills churning out stories of Elin Nordegren "scoping for a new honey" and reports of how Tiger has been interfering in her private life, fans can see that the road to recovery is a long one.

 

It was Tiger Woods' mental lapse, not necessarily his physical condition, that interfered with his game.

 

It is interesting to note, however, that in spite of Tiger Woods' sprains and despite the fact that he has not won an event and has only placed in the top-ten two times this year, that Woods is still the number one, odds-on favorite (currently at 6.50 to 1) to win the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club.

 

So, ready-or-not, Tiger Woods has decided to play the 2011 U.S. Open. Having a win under his belt at Congressional in the 2009 AT&T National hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation should conjure up some positive memories and, if he can leave his emotional battle on the sidelines, Tiger Woods could make the U.S. Open his first win since the 2009 Australian Masters (unless of course, he enters, and wins the Players....)

 

 

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Should a golfer be number-one without a major?

Tiger Woods

Type "World Golf Rankings" into Google and you will be exposed to less-than-positive perspectives ranging from "unimpressive" to "who cares?"  How important are the World Golf Rankings and to whom?

John Feinstein, a contributor to GolfChannel.com writes, "in a pure golf sense, the world rankings are used to determine who gets into major championships, who gets into lucrative World Golf Championship events and, in the case of the WGC match play event, the rankings determine the seeding of the 64 players."

“Ranking Points”, according to the Official World Golf Ranking website, "are awarded according to the players’ finishing positions and are generally related to the strength of the field. The four Major Championships are rated separately to reflect the higher quality of the events."

Points span a two-year "rolling" period so Tiger Woods' with his big point spread was able to remain in the top spot during most of the 2010 season despite not winning an event all year!  Cause for concern?

Now that Woods has finally "released his stranglehold" from the top spot of the OWGR, a shuffling of golfers has allowed the rankings to truly become more global. However, as soon as one player wins, another takes his place. Is this constant shift good for the game and the fans?

Lee Westwood, tagged as the latest 'golfer never to win a major', regained his number one status on the OWGR last week with a win at the Indonesian Masters. An appearance fee of $500,000 tempted him there but the only player with a top-50 ranking at the event certainly made it easier to climb the rankings with a good showing. Although Westwood's victory was worth twenty world ranking points, Luke Donald had to win in order to become the world number-one.

The points awarded at the Indonesian Masters was the same amount as a third-place finish at The Heritage, the PGA Tour's stop last week.

Is too much emphasis being placed on points? Should points or the fans determine who should be number-one golfer in the world?

With the shuffling of the OWGR three times since the end of 2010, golf writers and fans are now waking up to the fact that this rating system needs to be scrutinized and adapted for a global environment: perhaps a voting system to take into account appearance fees, two-year accruable points and other basic "common sense" issues.

Whereas Feinstein believes that "golf experts" should have a say, should a voice also be given to the avid golf fan, the publinks golfer, and golfers new to the sport and to whom the sport is trying to entice to grow the game? The number-one golfer in the world used to be recognizable: not knowing the names on top of the World Golf Rankings could hurt viewership with no real hero to talk about or cheer onward.

Perhaps a golfer should not even be considered for the number one spot unless he has at least one major in his professional career?

The top five players in the World Golf Rankings this week are: Westwood, Kaymer, Donald, Mickelson and McDowell.

Mark Paul, a fan who added his thoughts to Yahoo Sports, received the top spot in Google Golf News for the term "World Golf Rankings" this week. He questioned, "how impressed should golf fans be by these rankings?"

"Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, and Luke Donald," Paul stated, "are all within percentage points of each other. However, it is easily the least impressive top three in the history of the rankings."

Ron Furlong in his Bleacher Report column asked "Who Cares?" calling the World Golf Rankings title "make-believe."

"In the end, the rankings mean very little to nothing. In fact, the rankings often don't even depict who the best player in the world is."

So, in fact, with so much buzz circulating about the rankings in the world of golf, it should be determined that they are a big deal. If you could pick the number-one golfer in the world, who would you choose? Do you agree with the current rankings?



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Tiger Woods out with injury

Tiger Woods

The golf world just got a bit more boring for the next few weeks with the announcement from Tiger Woods that he will be out with an injury. According to his website, he will miss at least the Wells Fargo Championship due to a mild MCL strain of his left knee and a mild achilles strain. The injuries were suffered when he made a crazy swing from under a tree off the pine straw on the 17th at Augusta during round three of the Masters.

If the next tournament was a major championship, there is no doubt Woods would play but he's being more cautious about recovering from his injuries this time, unlike his decision to play the 2008 U.S. Open, which of course he won with broken leg.

In this Hank Haney article, Haney discussed what the doctors told Woods prior to that U.S. Open and as we now know, the rest is golf history.

What I remember most was the doctor [Thomas Rosenberg] coming to Tiger's house before that U.S. Open and showing him the MRI images on a laptop computer, showing him the two stress fractures, and Tiger not paying very much attention. I asked Dr. Rosenberg [who later performed the surgery to repair Tiger's torn ACL] what the treatment regimen was. He said it meant three weeks on crutches, then inactive for three weeks, then Tiger could start rehab. I remember looking at the calendar and saying, "So he's basically done for the year, right?" At that point Tiger came alive. He said, "I'm playing in the U.S. Open, and I'm going to win." He bent over and started putting on his shoes. "Come on, Hank, we're going to practice." I looked at Dr. Rosenberg and said, "I guess we're going to go practice."

Love that story.

Tiger Woods headlines in Las Vegas

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods' flat blade may not be earning much money for either the former number-one golfer or his Foundation so it is up to Tiger Jam 2011 to make up the difference.

On April 30th, Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and Woods will host the thirteenth annual Tiger Jam. Last year, the Charity Concert did not take place as Tiger sorted out his domestic life issues.

 

Photo Credit: InFlexWeTrust.com

 

The "exclusive VIP" fundraising "Jam" has raised $12 million to date for the Tiger Woods Foundation and features some of the best musical talent on the planet.

This year Grammy award winning artists John Mayer and Keith Urban will rock the house with a blend of country, rhythm and blues. Before the Concert, Tiger Jam features dinner and a silent auction "filled with a vast array of unique experiences and luxury items from entertainment personalities and sports teams, fine jewelry, spectacular resort getaways and one-of-a-kind experiences."

 

John Mayer and Keith Urban headline Tiger Jam 2011

 photo credit: Chaplain of Pop

 

"I'm thrilled these two talented musicians are joining us for Tiger Jam," Tiger Woods said. "We have had so much success with this event over the last thirteen years and we are excited to continue that tradition."

Tickets (starting at about $70) are still available for the Concert through Ticketmaster. A limited number of sponsorship packages are available ($1,000) which include access to the Concert, a Tiger Jam Reception and House of Blues Party where you might even catch Tiger Woods busting a move.

 
What has Tiger Woods been up to when not playing golf on the PGA Tour? Could he be gearing up to re-invent himself as the new PING-PONG champion in China?

 

Check out this seven second video on the Tiger Woods website in which Woods' backhand goes up against Chinese Olympic gold medal hurdler Liu Xiang.

"Great day hanging out with Liu Xiang in Beijing, really cool dude. Hope he does well in London games next year." 12 days ago on Tiger Woods' Twitter page.

 

 

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The Golf week in Review.....

Tiger Woods

 

Matteo Manassero of Italy during the 4th round of the Maybank Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)


Brendan Steele wins the Valero Texas Open....Kevin Na plays in the forest and cards a 16....Matteo Manassero wins the Maybank Malaysian Open......No attempt was made to kill the prime minister of Malaysia.....Jim Thorpe returns from prison to golf....Lobster golf balls....Dangerous golf hazard....Tiger Woods gives lessons in South Korea....Cook wins again on Senior circuit....Quotes of the week...

Maybe Chamblee should interview Tiger

Tiger Woods

Now that Brandel Chamblee has criticized Tiger Woods for his swing changes, his putting, his chipping, his off-course behavior, his on-course behavior, and everything else under the sun, he has now added his post-round interviews to the list.

Chamblee posted this article on why Woods needed to give a better post-round interview to Bill Macatee after the final round of the Masters. He asks why Woods is "so consistently smug when he is interviewed."
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Ian Poulter vs. Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

"I don't think he'll [Tiger Woods] finish in the top five. The shots he was hitting at Doral were very inconsistent. You can't afford to hit shots like that on this golf course [Augusta National] and get away with it. I don't think you want to rely on your short game that much around this place."

Another stellar prediction by Poulter. Almost as good as this one when he said the golf world would come down to just him and Tiger.

Currently the scoreboard reads:

Woods: 14 majors, 71 PGA wins
Poulter: 0 majors, 1 PGA win

Brandel Chamblee makes great case for the mute button

Tiger Woods

Golf channel analyst Brandel Chamblee gets paid to provide his opinions, all of which seem to be either wrong, or include him constantly flip-floping.

He has now joined sports personalities Chris Berman and Dick Vitale for people I have to turn the mute button on for. In the brief segments I did actually listen to him during Masters week, I was not surprised to hear the same old story.

First, he has been one of the biggest critics of Tiger Wood's swing changes and Sean Foley's teaching methods for the past nine months. He has repeated over and over that Woods is working on the wrong things and he won't find success with this new method.

After Wood's 66 Friday at the Masters, Chamblee all of a sudden states that Tiger looked to be in "complete control of his game," especially with his putting, and that he was looking like the Woods of old. As we know, Woods full swing looked great while his putting was slightly off.

The point is Chamblee has grilled Tiger for nearly a year saying that his swing changes will never work, but now all of a sudden he praises Woods for his improvement.

As for his opinions on Phil Mickelson, Chamblee said that although Lefty had a tough week at the Masters, he will certainly have many more years of success at Augusta and will most likely win it again. Then, literally less than one minute later, when speaking of Mickelson's arthritis, he said Phil will not be able to have much success over the next decade because of the condition. Huh? What? Chamblee, you just said the exact opposite thing one minute ago.

He then turned into Dr. Chamblee, giving his diagnosis for Phil's arthritis and describing how it will be treated, and the difficulty the doctors will have in changing treatment programs for him as the disease changes. Never knew Chamblee went to medical school. By the way, Mickelson did shoot 63-65 on the weekend two weeks ago to win in Houston so the doctors must be doing well so far.

The bottom line is Chamblee is trying to become like Johnny Miller, saying outrageous things that will draw attention, although in his case, they make no sense.

Tiger on verge, but not quite back

Tiger Woods

Back in the day this Masters would have been in the books. The "old" Tiger would have won this Masters in a runaway. All said and done, his 74 on Saturday included eight missed opportunities and Sunday he botched a three footer on 12 for par, didn't birdie 13, missed the eagle at 15, and didn't birdie 16, 17, or 18.

It didn't happen this time but there are tell tale signs that his game is returning to form. The front nine 31 with four birdies, an eagle, multiple fist pumps, and huge roars show that the game is still there. Overall though, the "process" is still in the works, most notably the putting.

The full swing looked much more grooved and ingrained and even Tom Watson said it looks like Tiger finally has the club in the proper position at the top of the backswing.

Once the swing changes fully click in creating more consistency, and the putting improves just a bit, Tiger should soon be hoisting a lot more trophies.

Whether you are a Tiger fan or Tiger hater, there is no doubt his game is capable of bringing unmatched electricity to the final round of major championships.


Photos / Getty

Moving backwards day for Tiger

Tiger Woods

 

Tiger Woods reacts to a missed putt on the fifth green during the third round of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2011 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Any golfer can look back after playing a round to see where their score could have been lower. For Tiger Woods on Saturday at Augusta, the list is pretty long.

#1: Missed a five foot par putt (lipped)
#2: Missed a five foot birdie putt (lipped)
#5: Left birdie putt one centimeter short
#8: Failed to get up and down from behind the green on par-5
#9: Missed 8 foot birdie putt
#11: Missed 2 foot par putt
#15: Three jacked for par (missed 5 foot birdie putt)
#18: Failed to get up and down from over green (missed 7 foot par putt)

Had he taken advantage of all these opportunities, he would be at -13 with a one shot lead. Had he taken advantage of just half of these opportunities, he would be at -9, playing in the final group with McILroy. As it stands, he took advantage of none of them and is seven shots back. Woods most likely needs a 65 in the final round to have any chance.

Tiger Woods (66) at the Masters during round two

Tiger Woods

Getty Images

Tiger opens Masters with 71

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods shot an opening round 71 Thursday at the Masters and is currently six shots back of leader Rory McILroy, who opened with a 65. Woods shot a front nine 35 with a birdie at six, and an even par 36 on the back nine with bogeys at 10 and 11 before rebounding with birdies at 13 and 14.

Tiger Woods first round photo gallery

Woods nearly holed out his third shot at the par-5 15th for eagle but had to settle for par after missing a 10 footer for his birdie. On 17, after hitting his approach shot over the green from the trees, he played a magnificent flop shot, stopping the ball just two feet from the hole and saved his par. At the 18th, he stuck his approach shot to 10 feet, but missed the putt after over-reading the break.

"I hit a lot of beautiful putts today," Woods said after the round to ESPN. "Realistically, I could of had a 68 or 69."

Asked if he felt confident with his swing changes, he replied, "Absolutely. This is a major championship. It's go time. I'm only six shots off the lead."

This is a decent start for Woods because as the saying goes, you can't win the Masters after the first round, but you can lose it. A 71 puts him in a good position, just six shots off the current lead heading into Friday.

Tiger Woods not among some Masters golf picks

Tiger Woods

I entered into a Masters Pool in which I had to assemble a "dream team" of eight golfers: if my "team of eight" racks up the most prize money, I win the golf pool. Although I cannot say who started the pool, I can show you who I chose as my top finishers (not in any particular order). As an interesting note, twenty entries out of fifty-four did not include Tiger Woods which is this particular golf pool's record.

Here is my dream team of top money winners with quotes relating to how they feel going into The Masters.

 

 

1. *Phil Mickelson:  After shooting weekend 63-65 win the Shell Open.
 “It was a big confidence-booster,” Mickelson said. “To have that performance heading in here feels really good. It reminds me of 2006.”

*My pick to win the Masters

2. Tiger Woods: "Been using my new app to prepare. I’m loving it – what do you guys think?" http://t.co/Qw8VEEe (Another sales pitch...ahem)

"Logging so many hours heading into Augusta this week. Nervous, excited, hoping the hard work pays off."  5 days ago, Tiger Woods on Twitter

3. Martin Laird 

4. Hunter Mahan during par-3 contest, talking about Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, It doesn't get better than these legends!!

5. Dustin Johnson: "I've had a few opportunities to go play (Augusta), just a casual round. I didn't really want to because I wanted to earn my way into it."

6. Bubba Watson "A little rusty on the golf course today. Need to hurry up & get good before next Thursday!!"  Twitter, 1 Apr

 

7. Ryo Ishikawa:  "My goal is to be in contention here at Augusta National," Ishikawa said Tuesday, after being grouped with three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and Bill Haas for the first two rounds.

‘‘But I don’t want to just contend. I want to fight it out with Woods for the title some day."

8. K.J. Choi:  "I just need to be 100 percent focused to the very last shot and the last hole on Sunday and stay patient," said Choi.

"There's no room for small mistakes and I'm not just referring to the shots you hit on the golf course. The Masters is more than that. I failed to do that last year during the final round." Choi finished in 4th place at the 2010 Masters.

 

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Masters 2011 pairings announced

Tiger Woods

The Masters pairings and tee times have been announced for the first two days of the tournament.

A look at some notable pairings and Thursday times:

Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, Adam Scott 8:40am
(Butch Harmon coached group)

Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day 9:24am
(Young gun group)

Padraig Harrington, Ryo Ishikawa, Bill Haas 9:57 am
(Ishikawa donating all winnings to Japan)

Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar 10:19am
(#1, #2, #10 in the world rankings)

Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Francesco Molinari 10:30am

Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Robert Allenby 10:41am
(Woods #7 in world rankings, McDowell #5)

Angel Cabrera, Ian Poulter, David Toms 11:47am

Fred Couples, Luke Donald, Steve Stricker 12:53pm
(Couples 1993 champ, Donald #3 in world, Stricker #8)

Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, Peter Uihlein 1:48pm
(Mickelson defending champ and #3 in world, Uihlein U.S. Amateur champ)

What are the odds that Mickelson or Laird will don the Masters Jacket?

Tiger Woods

Two weeks ago I wrote an article about how the next Masters champion may come from a win at either Bay Hill or Redstone based upon what I believed to be circumstances of "fate". With Mickelson coming from behind to win at the SHO this week, a green jacket reality moment at Augusta National is settling in with oddsmakers as well.

To recap the ESPN.com analysis:

There have only been six instances since 1960 when a player won an event either one or two weeks prior to winning the Masters. It's happened just twice since 1990 and in five year increments: Tiger Woods in 2001 (The Players Championship) and Phil Mickelson in 2006 (won the BellSouth the prior week).

This next five-year increment is at hand and so it stands to reason that either Mickelson or Martin Laird could become the 75th Masters Champion.

Humble Phil feels confident after a SHO-ing this week that he can win the first major of 2011. "It feels really good for me to have played well and gained some momentum heading into next week," Mickelson said. "I needed to have a week where I kind of put it together."

But even Mickelson mentioned after his round that there were a few holes in which he lost "focus". Focus and rolling in the putts are the keys (in my opinion)  to winning any golf tournament.

If in fact rolling in the putts is any indication of a win, then according to Colin Montgomerie, Laird has the potential to be a "world star."

 

Martin Laird with Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill

 

Monty said, "He (Laird) had a putting lesson from Dave Stockton and it's clearly worked because if you saw those last four putts he holed at Bay Hill, every one was dead centre. If he can putt half as well as that at Augusta he has a chance."

In spite of Montgomerie's "cooing" over Laird's ability on the golf course, Mickelson's odds currently stand at 5-1; Laird's odds are at 66-1.

Traditionally, the winner of the Masters had assistance with putting on his green jacket. Phil won last year so if he wins again the question is, "Will Mickelson don his own Masters jacket?"  It certainly would be memorable but, in the old-world tradition of the event, other likely candidates to give Phil a hand would be:

 

Angel Cabrera (2009), Trevor Immelman (2008), Zach Johnson (2007) or Tiger Woods (2005).

Photo credits: ESPN.com, GulfDailyNews.com

 

As in past years, live coverage of the Masters Tournament, April 4-10th, will be available from Amen Corner holes No 15 & 16, the Practice Range and the par 3 contest on Masters.org.

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Masters Rewind: Tiger wins in 1997

Tiger Woods

This video shows the 21 year old skinny Tiger destroying the golf course, hitting wedges into par-5s, playing with incredible touch and feel, and just basically hitting ridiculous shots from every angle. After he shot 40 on his opening round Thursday, he played the rest of the way 22 under par to win his first major.

Masters Rewind: Tiger at 16 in 2005

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods, Golf Instructor?

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods, virtual golf instructor? Yes, you heard it right! Woods has decided to prove to Sean Foley (or Hank Haney, Butch Harmon, take your pick) that he too can give lessons and teach the world to golf.

Golf tutelage from the greats have gone for as much as $500 an hour but now Woods can be your instructor for the price of an album downloaded from iTunes!

Load the handy, dandy "Tiger Woods My Swing" app into either an iPhone or iPod Touch, then start uploading up to ten seconds of your golf swing. Your set-up and follow-through "could be compared to any of twenty-four swings by the world No. 5."

 

 

Which swing will I be compared with? Will it be the Tiger Woods teen swing or the one-legged golf swing of U.S. Open lore?

Tiger Woods (not some avatar mind you) will offer you virtual golf tips, help you with your swing transitions and will even show you how to rebuild your swing (he's had plenty of time with this one), right from the comfort of your driving range booth!

 

Woods can now be your new Twitter buddy, your cell phone pal AND play PGA Tour 12: The Masters with you on your Wii!

 

Taking only a small amount of money out of (hopefully) a lot of people's pockets, Woods' app should be considered a bargain compared to a session with Foley!  On the flip side, Tiger is not necessarily the golfer I would choose as my muse, but he is becoming a skillful salesman.

 

Available today in the Apple App Store.

All proceeds are to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation.

 

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Will a Bay Hill win determine the Masters Champion?

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods' six Bay Hill victories makes him the odds-on favorite among fans and gamblers despite a drought. The long-shot of becoming a Masters champion after a win at this event is ripe to happen. Will it be Woods, or perhaps an up-and-coming golfer on the PGA Tour, that creates their opportunity at Bay Hill... and dons the Green Jacket?

Although I do not gamble on sports events (except for my $5 bet on the Kentucky Derby), I enjoy reading how analysts and betting parlors determine golf odds and event winners. Golf is a gambling game, from playing a two-dollar Nassau right down to selecting a Fantasy Golf Team and the internet is flooded with scenarios based upon performance and standings.

 

But, does fate (la forza del destina) sometimes play a hand in the outcome?

 

One statistic that caught my eye while sifting through the "information super-highway" was Justin Ray's analysis on ESPN.com. He noted that there have only been six instances since 1960 when a player won an event either one or two weeks prior to winning the Masters. It's happened just twice since 1990 and in five year increments: Tiger Woods in 2001 (The Players Championship) and Phil Mickelson in 2006 (won the BellSouth the prior week).

Could 2011 be the year that the winner at Bay Hill will also take the green jacket at Augusta?

 

Since this is an "Invitational", the field will be limited to one hundred and twenty golfers. There are thirty-four "under thirty" golfers and twenty-six "grizzled vets" over forty years old. A changing of the guard? Perhaps.

Here are a few possible picks to keep your eyes on at Bay Hill:

Mark Wilson is the leader in the FedExCup standings and two-time 2011 winner but has been "fading" since his early back-to-back wins.

Gary Woodland's breakout victory last week at the Transitions Championship was a learning experience for him but he could have the same fortunate bounce as Wilson.

Jhonattan Vegas is another relative newcomer with most of his events played in 2011. He has made seven cuts, his finishes are good and his scrambling stats are better than the average tour player giving him an advantage at Bay Hill.

 

Dustin Johnson is already a veteran on the PGA Tour and most recently placed second at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Johnson has a better 'greens in regulation' percentage than the average Tour player. With four top-ten finishes this year, Hunter Mahan also has a better-than average 'greens in regulation' percentage.

Playing the 18th hole at Bay Hill, where errant shots will be met by rocks and water, the ability of both Johnson and Mahan to land on the green in the height of competition could could provide the fans with a climactic four-day event.

 

Tiger Woods' Sunday 66 at the WGC-Cadillac Championship and golf instruction from Sean Foley are positive improvements towards an eventual win. On the flip side, Woods has not competed on this course since its renovation and, with current stats at 101st in putts per round (usually the deciding factor in a tournament), he's going to need to grind and hope to rejuvenate the fear factor he instills in other players.

As for my personal favorite, Phil Mickelson, he came in second place at the Farmers Insurance Open, is tied for 25th in scoring average and has made every cut so far this year. Anything can happen and usually does when Phil is in the field!

Possibilities or percentages? Fate or odds?

 

The 50th anniversary milestone of Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge could very well transform a win in Orlando into a golden opportunity at Augusta.

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Tiger Woods Masters preview on Late Night Show?

Tiger Woods

A noticeably matured yet whiskerless Tiger Woods allowed himself to be the butt of Jimmy Fallon's jokes last night on 'Late Night' in order to push the latest EA Sports Game, "Tiger Woods PGA 12: The Masters" to a somewhat accepting audience.


Fallon used golf terms with double entendres such as "shaft" and "foursome" to force the seemingly stiff Woods into a smile. Tiger's tired eyes said much to his fans even though he appeared to remain a good sport all the while.


"And we laughed at your pain," needled Fallon. "I mean, not even making jokes. It kind of wrote itself."


It was the following segment, a demonstration of "PGA Tour 12: The Masters" on Wii, that was the real purpose of Woods' appearance. Tiger was there for the money shot, to be a walking billboard for EA Sports and to sell 'Late Night' viewers on the new game, not to talk about his personal life golf instuctor catfights or how his own golf game is coming round (although Woods was truly proud of his recently remodeled Jupiter estate, complete with four golf holes and four different types of sand in the bunkers.)


Amy Poehler, who looked as if this was the first time she ever picked up a golf club, was there to loosen up Woods (which she did when she swung the Wii controller) and to add further comic relief to Fallon's innocuous barbs.


The three played the 12th hole at Augusta National: Golden Bell. The shortest hole on the course and one of the three holes included in Amen Corner, Golden Bell is a deceptive par-3, 155 yard hole in which accuracy is key as winds and a narrow green complicate the shot.

Both Amy and Jimmy were feeding off of each other, trying to take Tiger out of his game while waiting for the big money shot to occur, perhaps for birdie or par? They hoped to see Woods loosen up and boogie down a bit but Tiger remained as stolid as if he were in real competition, game face on, not taking any prisoners.


After what seemed to be a hundred shots from Poehler who was desperately trying to get over Rae's Creek and with Fallon using his putter like a baseball bat, Woods finally got his chance to claim victory.


Standing over a three-foot putt, Tiger Woods confidently holed out...for a bogey.


Preview of things to come?


Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) related his feelings on Twitter:

First win of the year, unfortunately it was against @jimmyfallon.



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