Just when everyone thought Tiger's game was at a new low and maybe he needed a few more weeks to recover from the ACL surgery he had on his left knee last year, the cat struck again, in what became one of his most impressive driving tournaments in...forever."I heard people on TV say he was lost," said Hank Haney, golf instructor and swing coach to Tiger Woods. "How can anybody say he's lost? It makes no sense. I thought he deserved an opportunity to get himself back feeling good. It was a pretty serious injury [ACL reconstruction] for an athlete. And then you consider how long he was out of competition. This was a huge confidence boost for him."
Haney is of course, correct in his analysis of golf fans and writers across the world but he also has to realize who he is talking about. Tiger Woods is known for his flare, impressive shots from all angles on the golf course, his famous fist pumps, and most importantly, for his complete domination of his fellow golfers. So of course, when the man returns to play and doesn't win every single tournament, people are going to analyze every swing or stroke of his putter, and blame this or that of his game as the reason for is troubles.
Although many were calling for a total overhaul of Tiger's swing, ask Tiger why he struggled to win after his return and he'll tell you, "practice." Unlike, his fellow professional athlete, Allen Iverson, Woods considers practice to be very vital to the development of quality play on the big stage.
"My practice sessions started getting longer at home," Woods said. "Hit more balls, play more golf, all these things. People don't realize you need to do that. You need to have that ability. You can't just think about your swing and how to be great the next day. I needed to do the reps and do some good practice sessions the past couple of weeks."
Tiger, after a 68 in the first round, an ugly and rare 74 in the second round, and another solid 68, in the third round which put him in a great position heading into Sunday's final round only four shots behind the leaders, shot a 65 Sunday and won Jack Nicklaus' tournament by one stroke over veteran Jim Furyk.
He hit all 14 fairways on Sunday, leaving himself the opportunity to attack the flags and score low. Although the rest of the field tried their best to push the lead, Tiger came storming back with miraculous shot after shot. The most important shots coming at the par 5 11th hole and the par 4 18th hole, in which Tiger made two phenomenal shots to position himself for his 67th win in his career.
On the 11th hole, Tiger smashed the ball onto the green before it rolled off the green and settled in thick rough. Terrible lie, with a little to no chance of getting the ball close for a birdie, Tiger steps up and chips the ball straight into the hole, controlling the spin by virtually hitting the ball with one hand. Thus, giving Tiger an eagle on the 11th and placing him one shot behind the leader, Jonathan Byrd.
On the 18th hole, Tiger hits once again, another great tee shot and leaves himself a great look at a birdie and the opportunity to clench the win. Most with the lead would play it safe and hit the ball in the middle of the green and take a par, but Tiger, wanting to leave no opportunity for his competitors to come back and force a playoff, went for the hole. After another great swing, Tiger knocked the ball about one foot from the hole, leaving a tap in for yet another win on the PGA Tour.
That's in for this installment. Tiger will be competing in two weeks time at the U.S. Open, aiming for the 17th major of his career. According to Tiger he's not quite 100 percent, so golfers beware! After two weeks of more practice, he may just walk away with another major unscathed.
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