Can Tiger come from 7 back to win? Not likely, but you never know, he is Tiger, the maker of golf history. He’s paired with Phil Mickelson, so maybe the two of them one-up the other into victory. Todd Hamilton, the unlikely British Open winner, is lurking at -6, Steve Stricker at -7, Jim Furyk at -8 and Chad Campbell at -9.
My odds before the start of the Masters and current standings:
- Tiger Woods (1-3): T10 at -4
- Phil Mickelson (1-8): T10 at -4
- Padraig Harrington (1-10): T25 at -1
- Trevor Immelman (1-25): T37 at +1
- Greg Norman (1-100): CUT at +3
- Teenagers (1-200): Danny Lee CUT at +11, Ryo Ishikawa CUT at +6, Rory McIlroy T32 at E
- Field (3-1 more or less): Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry T1 at -11
My pick is Tiger Woods (duh!).
My odds:
- Tiger Woods (1-3): Tiger’s first major since knee surgery and first tournament since Bay Hill win.
- Phil Mickelson (1-8): Missed cut at Houston but has won twice this year. I would have given him same odds as Tiger if he hadn’t played so poorly in Houston.
- Padraig Harrington (1-10): Paddy Slam; can he make it three majors in a row?
- Trevor Immelman (1-25): Can he repeat?
- Greg Norman (1-100): Back in Masters after incredible showing in British Open.
- Danny Lee, Ryo Ishikawa, Rory McIlroy (1-200): Teenagers at Augusta.
- Field (3-1 more or less): Someone else not mentioned.
I had planned to have a golf lesson today with Jeff Kennedy at Coyote Ridge, but the very brisk spring winds ruined that possibility. Wind also caused the suspension of play at the Shell Houston Open.
Here’s an interesting item in Tiger’s interview last Wednesday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Apparently, Tiger’s father Earl can out-putt Tiger. That’s amazing.
ASAP Sports – Golf – 2009 – ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD – March 25 – Tiger Woods.
Q. How much influence did your father have on your putting stroke, and could you talk about the nature of that influence?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, Dad had everything to do with my putting stroke. How I putt now is how I've always putted as a kid. I look at the picture, how I get my feel, the drills that I do, everything has been taught by my dad.
When I go out there and practice my putting, like I did at Doral, I didn't putt well, I didn't make any putts, I went back to all my basics that my dad taught me. It's good times, good memories going back to all those different things and remember all those different times. But my dad has laid the foundation for my stroke.
And even I remember in some of the good years I've had in golf, like '99, 2000, 2001, coming back to southern California I'd take my dad out and we'd go putt, and he'd routinely beat me. Anything he said about putting, I'd always listen. He just had a wonderful feel, a wonderful touch, and I really understood how to make the ball roll consistently each and every time.
Good to have you back in action, Tiger. See you at Doral.
Tiger Woods loses to Tim Clark at WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
One day after a ceremonious return to golf, Tiger Woods was on his way home.
Tim Clark of South Africa played 16 holes without a bogey and pulled ahead for good on the back nine Thursday, knocking Woods out of the Accenture Match Play Championship with a 4-and-2 victory.
Woods holed out a 50-foot bunker shot for birdie on the 14th hole and appeared to be making a run, but his tee shot on the 15th hole hit a cart path and went over a fence and out of bounds, costing him the hole.
The long drought without Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour is over. Tiger announced today on his website that he’s going to play the Accenture Match Play next week.
WOO HOO!!!
Heh heh!
Weekly 18: Michelle Wie’s first victory as a pro inching closer
Dustin Johnson. Though I haven't been able to confirm this yet, I've heard reports that of the 201 total strokes taken by Dustin Johnson at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, not a single one aired live on any of the television broadcasts. If that's true, I've got to wonder whether it's the first time this has happened in the era of televised golf.
Though he never incurred the pressure of a final round, never had to hit a shot with the spotlight directly on him, here's guessing that Johnson isn't exactly complaining about simply showing up Monday morning and being handed a trophy — regardless of what he said one day earlier.
“I don't want it to be called,” he said after Sunday's round was washed out. “I'd rather it be played [Monday] than not.”
Instead, Johnson didn't have to hit a shot since Saturday, collecting not only the winner's check, but berths in both the upcoming Masters and U.S. Open, as well. Those who don't think such rewards should be heaped upon a player who never had to play a final-round shot with a 4-stroke lead likely won't appreciate this notion, either: It may be time to include Johnson in any discussion about the best player under 30.