Tiger's year enjoyable - on the course

Posted 11:03AM on Thursday 17th October 2002 ( 22 years ago )

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Even by his own high standards, Tiger Woods has had quite a year - two majors, six victories worldwide and only one mention of a slump. That doesn't mean the year has been enjoyable. Woods believes he has been targeted for criticism no matter what he says, when he plays or what he wears. The National Council of Women's Organizations hammered him for not taking a stronger position on Augusta National's all-male membership. Woods thinks Augusta should have a female member, but also believes in the rights of private clubs to set their own rules. He was roasted by the British press for playing an early practice round on the day before the Ryder Cup, finishing 18 holes before most fans were even on the course. Woods also was amused at criticism that he wore a white turtleneck at the Ryder Cup while the rest of the U.S. team had red short-sleeved shirts. "That was part of the team outfit," he said. "I thought that was kind of funny that they were picking on that. "I think everyone wants to write something. Whatever the smallest issues are, that's what they are going to do." There hasn't been anything small about his game. Woods returns to the PGA Tour on Thursday at the Disney World Golf Classic having already sewn up his fourth consecutive PGA Tour money title. His five PGA Tour victories this year are three more than anyone else. He became the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win the first two majors of the year, the Masters and the U.S. Open. He also closed with four straight birdies at the PGA Championship and came up one stroke short of Rich Beem. What impresses Woods the most is his consistency. Dating to Doral in the first week of March, he has finished lower than fourth only three times - The Players Championship (tie for 14th), the Memorial (tie for 22nd) and the British Open, where he shot 81 in a cold, hard wind and wound up in a tie for 28th. "In eight months, that's pretty good playing," Woods said. He hopes to continue that over the next four days on the Palm and Magnolia courses, located just across the street from the Magic Kingdom. Woods has won Disney twice, as a rookie in 1996 in only his seventh tournament as a pro, and in 1999, when he closed out the season with four straight victories. Others in the field are looking for their first victory of the year. They include David Toms, Davis Love III and David Duval, who needs to finish first and second the next two weeks for any chance of getting into the Tour Championship. While those three proven players have not won this year, there have been 15 first-time champions, a tour record. "The tour is getting deeper," Woods said. "There are more players who are better. If you look at it from that perspective, that explains why those three haven't won." They are among a dozen Ryder Cup players in the field. Phil Mickelson and Mark Calcavecchia are the only U.S. players taking the week off, while Bernhard Langer and Jesper Parnevik represent the European squad. Woods said he had a 102-degree fever during the final two days of the Ryder Cup, where he went 2-2-1 and wound up on the losing side for the second time in three matches. He didn't pick up a club again until this week. "I took a long time off, which is nice," Woods said. "I'm a little bit on the rusty side, but it feels good to be that way. It's been a long year, and the year is winding down." In some respects, Woods is just cranking it up. He'll finish his PGA Tour season in two weeks at East Lake for the Tour Championship, then heads to Japan for the Dunlop Phoenix. After that, he goes to Hawaii for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the California desert for the Skins Game, then finally calls it a year at his own tournament, the Target World Challenge in California two weeks before Christmas. "I am making one more run at the end of the year," he said. "That's why I shut it down and didn't do anything. I tried to make sure I was physically ready for this long stretch coming up."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/10/188781

Tiger&#39;s year enjoyable - on the course

Tiger's year enjoyable - on the course