Tour Players Queue Up To Announce Tiger Gives Them Wood

Guardian Unlimited website

Tiger Woods, fresh from his eight-shot victory in San Diego last weekend, will tee off at the Dubai Desert Classic this morning in the knowledge that, even if he does not believe in his invincibility those he will be playing against appear to have reached an altogether different conclusion.

"People ask why we don't stand up to this guy. The fact is we are not as good as he is," said Thomas Bjorn when asked to consider his chances of prevailing against the world No1 this week. "It all depends on Tiger. It could be all over by Friday. You can't allow him to be five or six clear by the weekend because you won't catch up. He won't allow you to catch up. If someone stays with him, more often than not he will beat you but sometimes not."

If anyone should know what it takes to beat Woods it is the Dane, who played with him in all four rounds of the 2001 Desert Classic and won the tournament. That was the landmark moment of his career but, if anything, it reinforced Bjorn's view of Woods as a player apart. "The sooner people accept that we are second best, the more chance they have to live up to our potential. If you are trying to beat him, good luck. You are not going to do it. He is not going to let you. I don't think that is defeatist - it is realistic," he said

Defeatism or realism, there is a lot of it about on the driving range here this week, where even the normally cocksure Colin Montgomerie, Woods's playing partner for the first two rounds, was quick to assert his own inferiority to the world No1.

"I still want to learn and I still want to improve and the only way of doing that, I believe, is playing with better players and playing with players you feel are better than you - and he certainly is better than me," the Scotsman said. "I am not going to beat Tiger Woods by hitting the ball any further than him or hitting my irons any better than him or by holing any more putts than he does. I am not going to beat him physically or mentally. The only way I am going to beat Tiger Woods is playing like Colin Montgomerie."

Woods is coming to the tournament after a longer break than usual but he said ominously: "I have always played pretty well coming off breaks. My practice sessions were really good and I am really excited about going out and playing. I still have self-doubts, it's part of the game and part of life. You have doubts but you have to keep pushing through it and improving and have a game plan to execute and you go out and execute. I can't control what other players do. It's not a sport where you can influence someone else, you just have to control your own business and see where you are come Sunday afternoon."

When so many others are queuing up to boost your ego there is little need to pucker up and play a tune on your own cornet but Woods's recent run of form, which has produced six victories in his last seven events, has obviously impressed even the great man himself. He clearly wants to win this week but equally clearly his sights are set on an altogether more significant achievement: winning all four majors in one season - the grand slam.

"It is all about playing well at the right times and getting lucky," he said yesterday of his chances of making history. "You have to have everything go your way but the only thing I can control is my own play and hopefully I can peak at the right time, four times, and it will be good enough." In the understated but fiercely competitive world of Woods, all of that can be accurately translated as, "You bet I can".

After playing in the pro-am Woods said of the course: "The greens are a little slower than they have been, the rough is up a touch and they have narrowed a couple of the fairways. It is playing a touch longer, the balls are not really rolling as much but, if the wind doesn't blow like today, the guys are going to shoot low."

Follow Woods' advice: Relax

Unlike classy golfer, media won't let it die

Bob Verdi | Sunday Column Chicago Tribune

Kelly Tilghman returned to her post Thursday as an anchor for Golf Channel's coverage of the PGA Tour, but not before she was hermetically sealed off from nosy reporters at the Buick Invitational.

The media's inability to interview media constituted a sharp change in direction of an ongoing controversy, and for those who have tired of us writing and talking about each other, the brief interlude of uncharacteristic silence is welcome indeed.

"Do you believe how crazy this thing has gotten?" noted Tiger Woods, no small part in a battle of the bilge begun when Tilghman mused during a telecast earlier this month about how lesser players should "lynch him in a back alley."

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Inasmuch as Woods is multi-ethnic, Tilghman's use of "lynch" was beyond crude or insensitive. She apologized and Woods accepted, as an understanding friend of hers for many years. But that wasn't good enough for the media, not with all that space to fill in print and on the air.

Al Sharpton, who never met a camera he didn't like, provided a kick start to the process, as if we needed it. So attuned to the situation was he that he first referred to Tilghman as a "him," but what does a tiny mistake matter when we smell all the ingredients of a juicy stew upon which we can feast for weeks?

Football great Jim Brown also weighed in, criticizing Woods' silence as an example of his failure to embrace social causes.

Tilghman was suspended for two tournaments, a fair and reasonable punishment to fair and reasonable people. Unfortunately, few of those work at Golfweek, a magazine that chose to print the picture of a noose on its cover. That cost the editor his job, and some folks around the golf industry figure Tilghman still might lose hers.

What's so intriguing about this is how the same pundits who preach that we must move on are the ones who cling to the past, even as Woods, arguably the world's most famous athlete, made his season debut here while suggesting to everybody that they should calm down.

"This whole deal is over, as far as I'm concerned," he said. "It was when Kelly and I talked. She made a mistake. We all make mistakes. The rest of this is media-driven."

Woods is spot-on there. He is extremely media-savvy, and perhaps the most annoying aspect of this episode is how parasites in the peanut gallery are telling Woods how he should have responded and what he should have said in response to an obvious racial slur.

During his prime, Michael Jordan frequently was criticized -- by Jim Brown, among others -- for not representing social causes of minorities. It wasn't enough for him to bounce a basketball. He had to govern too. Now it's Woods' turn to incur the wrath of bleating hearts who demand that he be more than just a golfer.

Well, he already is. But instead of providing sound bites and catchy phrases, Woods builds buildings. There's a learning center in his name in California, and there will be more in other regions, funded in part by him, dedicated to the memory of his father, Earl. Tiger Woods is about bricks and mortar, not nouns and adjectives. He could have pouted about Tilghman's remark and categorized it as another distraction or slight heaped upon him. But he's much too classy for that.

My favorite take on the taffy pull came from Steve Williams, Woods' veteran caddie and alter ego. Just the other day, Williams was asked about his reaction to the Tilghman firestorm.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Williams said. "I've been home in New Zealand, and when I'm there, I don't follow golf."

Or the media. Lucky him.

Tiger Enjoying Time Off, Looks Ahead to 2008

From tigerwoods.com


By Mark Soltau

ORLANDO, Fla. - It was a quiet New Year's for Tiger Woods, who turned 32 on Dec. 30th and celebrated his wife's birthday on Jan 1.

"I didn't make it until midnight," he said Thursday of New Year's Eve. "I haven't done too much. I've just been hanging out at home and it's been nice."

Woods said he enjoyed the holidays more than ever thanks to the addition of six-month old daughter Sam Alexis.

"It changed big-time having Sam around," he said. "Just the simplest things like seeing her tear apart wrapping paper -she loved the noise. She always watches sports with me on television, especially basketball. Anything with movement."

Woods started walking when he was nine-months old; Sam is well on her way.

"I think she'll be walking soon," said Woods.

Woods said he is in the best shape of his life.

"I'm definitely stronger," Woods said. "I finally had some time to work out. I've never really had time to dedicate to it without worrying about being sore the next day. I had a program and followed the program."

On January 21, a statue of Woods' late father, Earl, will be unveiled during a private event at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, California. Woods will also announce the launch of a nationwide youth program.

"Dad's heartbeat is certainly there," said Woods. "He was really excited when I came up with the idea. He loved the place. I just wish he could have seen all the changes and the kids going through the classes and how it has impacted their lives."

Woods has started practicing and will make his 2008 PGA Tour debut at the Buick Invitational, Jan. 24-27 in San Diego, where he is a three-time defending champion. Swing coach Hank Haney will pay a visit next week.

"I've been kind of testing some new Nike irons," said Woods. "They haven't made me a full set yet - I only have three clubs. I used my backup irons at the Target World Challenge because my regular irons were getting worn out."

Woods doesn't anticipate any immediate changes in his equipment and will head for Dubai for the Dubai Desert Classic after the Buick Invitational.

"The golf course is a little tricky, especially the two par-5s on the back nine," he said. "A lot of the European Tour players start getting ready for the season there and the tournament usually attracts a strong field."

Woods will also make time to visit his first golf course design project, Al Ruwaya, a par-72, 18-hole championship layout.

"We should have a few holes carved out," Woods said. "The basic routing is done and we're moving some dirt."

Woods won a PGA Tour-best seven times in 2007 and concluded the year by capturing the Target World Challenge, donating his $1.35 million first prize to the Tiger Woods Foundation. On the course, the highlight of the year was winning the PGA Championship, the 13th major title of his career.

"Without a doubt," he said. "The way I hit the ball there, and also on Saturday during the U.S. Open at Oakmont and the TOUR Championship, were pretty good."

His biggest disappointment? Not winning the Masters or U.S. Open, where he tied for second in each.

"If I had just made a couple more putts, I could have easily won both," said Woods. "At Augusta, playing 17 and 18 in 5-over-par on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, that cost me the tournament. You can't finish off rounds that way."

As for comparisons to 2000, when Woods won nine times including the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship, he thinks 2007 was comparable.

"People think just because you didn't win as much, 2000 would be better," he said. "I was very consistent in 2007 and just a few putts from an even better year."

In addition to the seven victories, including the last three stroke play events, Woods finished in the Top 10 in 12 of 16 starts.

As always, Woods' goals in 2008 are wins and consistency. Winning the Grand Slam is definitely in his thoughts.

"I think it's easily within reason," said Woods.

Tiger Vs Sabbatini Round 3

This from thegolfchannel.com's Brian Hewitt

The bad blood between World No. 1 Tiger Woods and Rory Sabbatini is boiling again.

The latest chapter in the feud was writ large this week when a representative for Woods was asked by GOLF CHANNEL if Tiger or his people had heard anything from the Sabbatini camp since December.

“Nothing,” said Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation and tournament director of Tiger’s Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide. “And I’m not expecting we will.”

December is when Sabbatini withdrew from Woods’ tournament after 54 holes, but not before pocketing the $170,000 for finishing last in the elite 16-player field. Sabbatini cited unspecified personal reasons for the pull-out. A Sabbatini spokesman said Sabbatini was suffering from “shin splints.”

Several players openly criticized Sabbatini for his decision not to play Sunday. “They (the Sabbatini camp) couldn’t even get their stories straight,” added one tournament official.

Woods’ event is an invitational, with the top 12 players on the world rankings getting automatic spots in the field. One Woods source told GOLF CHANNEL the tournament will not be disappointed if Sabbatini declines to play in the 2008 event if he qualifies. “We would certainly encourage him not to accept his invitation,” said the source.

For his part, McLaughlin, when asked if he hoped Sabbatini would choose not to play in the 2008 Target, said that was an accurate characterization.

Sabbatini finished in the middle of the pack at the Mercedes-Benz Championship last week and declined comment all week long on the brewing Woods feud. But his agent, Bud Martin, presented the other side of the story late Monday.

Martin said he had made several calls to McLaughlin, none of which had been returned. He said he hoped the matter could be cleared up. “Obviously, Greg is a friend of mine,” Martin said.

Martin said Sabbatini’s current plan is to donate the $170,000 from Tiger’s tournament to “United Through Reading,” a program that allows military personnel to record themselves reading books to their children and then send the DVDs home.

Martin also pointed out that Target, Tiger’s title sponsor, is heavily involved in supporting “United Through Reading.” He said the tentative plan is for Sabbatini to make the donation at the Buick Invitational in San Diego later this month.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Woods’ first scheduled tournament appearance in 2008 is the Buick Invitational.

The enmity between Woods and Sabbatini surfaced last year when Sabbatini publicly said he thought Woods was more “beatable” than he had previously been.

Woods, who usually lets his clubs do the talking in these instances, pointed out the difference in his record and Sabbatini’s—Tiger has won 13 majors, Sabbatini has won none.

Sources say Woods was privately furious with the circumstances surrounding Sabbatini’s withdrawal from his tournament. And the subsequent comments from the Woods’ camp clearly indicate that animosity still exists.

Tiger Woods latest newsletter

I have so much to be thankful for in 2007. Obviously, my wife and new daughter top the list. I had always heard that fatherhood changes your life and perspective, but until you experience it, there's no way to really understand how much. Every day, Sam does something new that brings a smile to my face. I appreciate the little things, like having her watch me hit balls on the back of the driving range or watch sports with me on TV. She's a wonderful, curious little girl, and Elin and I cherish every moment together.

Golf-wise, I've always said if you win a major, it's a great year. Everything else is gravy. Winning the PGA Championship was the highlight, but I played consistently most of the season and am very pleased with my progress. It was also satisfying to win two World Golf Championship events, and of course, the inaugural FedExCup.

The only disappointments were coming up short at the Masters and U.S. Open. I put myself in position both times, but just couldn't get the job done. I'll think about that during the next few weeks and hopefully come back even stronger in 2008.

It was nice to end the year with a W in the Target World Challenge. Coming off a 10-week break, I wasn't sure how sharp I would be, but I putted great and hit big shots when I needed them. I also accomplished it playing the new Nike ONE Platinum ball. More importantly, we were able to raise a lot of money for the Tiger Woods Foundation, which will enable us to help more kids. My thanks to the players, sponsors, staff, volunteers and of course the fans for making the tournament such a big success.

The Tiger Woods Leaning Center in Anaheim, Ca. has exceeded all expectations, and we are making great progress in our Washington, D.C. efforts. We also have some exciting programs I plan to launch in January 08. More on that later.

I would like to thank my good friend Hank Haney for all his help and support this year. Henry dealt with some family issues and I know it wasn't easy. He didn't attend as many events as he usually does, and rightfully so. But he was there when I needed him. All the countless hours we have put in together are paying off. I have a better understanding of my golf swing than ever before and know how to fix most of my faults. When I don't, Henry will continue to be my extra set of eyes.

I will start the 2008 season next month by defending my title at the Buick Invitational. I want to spend as much time as I can during the holidays with family and friends. Although I've never been much of Christmas guy, things are different now that we have Sam. As a kid, my parents used to give me a left shoe for Christmas and a right shoe for my birthday (Dec. 30). Real funny. I'm not a great shopper, but look forward to picking out a few presents for her.

That's all for now. Elin, Sam and I send our best wishes for the holiday season. Have a safe and healthy New Year.

Tiger