Haas in control at Tour Championship,

Posted 3:24PM on Saturday 6th November 2004 ( 20 years ago )

ATLANTA - The Tour Championship suddenly is loaded with optimism for Jay Haas and Tiger Woods. Haas turns 51 next month, making him the oldest player to ever qualify for this All-Star Game. For those wondering when he'll start playing with guys his own age, Haas again showed no signs of slowing down with a 4-under 66, giving him a two-shot lead over Stephen Ames. ``If I was 50 and sitting at home, nobody would be talking about me,'' Haas said about the constant references to his age. ``I'm just glad I've got a parking spot out there and they let me tee off this week.'' The way he finished Friday at East Lake a nifty par save from 60 feet away in a bunker, followed by a slick 12-foot birdie on the 18th Haas looked as if he might be able to end 11 years and 276 tournaments without winning. ``It's way too early to get too excited about it,'' said Haas, who was at 7-under 133. ``But I haven't done it with smoke and mirrors. I've played solid golf, and that gives me encouragement for the weekend.'' Woods has been hammered all year for changing the swing that made him the only professional to win four straight majors. His only victory this year came at the Match Play Championship in late February. And with Vijay Singh dominating golf, Woods has become a forgotten man. That changed Friday when he made two birdies with stunning recovery shots, never came seriously close to a bogey and matched his best score of the year, a bogey-free 64 that left him three shots behind. ``There are risks to getting better,'' Woods said. ``I've always taken risks to try and become a better golfer, and that's one of the things that's got me as far as I have.'' Woods got into contention with an array of exciting shots. One was a 6-iron off pine straw that he hooked under a tree to within 20 feet for birdie on No. 5. The other came on the 16th, the toughest hole at East Lake, where he hit an 8-iron from 203 yards over the pine trees to 12 feet. ``I played myself right back into the tournament,'' Woods said. U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen had a 66 and joined Woods at 4-under 136. Singh has some catching up to do if he wants to end the year with 10 victories. The 41-year-old Fijian took 35 putts on a cool, breezy afternoon and shot 73, ending his streak of 14 rounds at par or better. That left Singh in 17th place among 30 players, seven shots out of the lead. Singh did not stop to comment, heading to his home on the range. Almost as impressive as his score was the way Haas finished. The final three holes are among the toughest at East Lake, and they knocked Mike Weir and Zach Johnson off the leaderboard. Weir was at 6 under and in the lead until a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish, taking four shots from just behind the 18th green to sink to a 69 and finished at 2 under. Johnson was at 5 under until he ran into problems on the 16th, hitting an air ball with his wedge from behind the green and making triple bogey. Haas has accomplished about all he could have imagined in the two years since his career got fresh legs. He played on the Presidents Cup team last year. He became the second-oldest player in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills in September. He became the oldest player at the Tour Championship, for only the top 30 players on the money list. The only thing missing is a trophy. ``Obviously, I have not won. I would sure love to do it,'' Haas said. ``I dream about it.'' But he doesn't dwell on it, and Haas only had to look at the leaderboard for a reminder that it's not easy especially seeing Woods lurking only three shots behind. Despite not winning since the Match Play Championship in late February, Woods has been in this position before, but has not been able to hold onto a 36-hole lead or make up ground. In his first tournament since getting married Oct. 5, the former No. 1 player in the world sounded more hopeful than other that swing changes are starting to kick in. And in some his frankest answers about his swing, he offered no apologies about leaving Butch Harmon for swing coach Hank Haney. ``If I play my best, I'm pretty tough to beat,'' Woods said. ``I would like to play my best more frequently, and that's the whole idea. That's why you make changes. I thought that I could become more consistent and play at a higher level more often. ``Trust me, I've been down this road before,'' said Woods, who overhauled his swing after winning the '97 Masters. ``I'm starting to see some of the fruits now, which is great.'' It certainly showed Friday, when he never came seriously close to making bogey. He still couldn't find the short grass off the tee, hitting only five fairways, but Woods did not repeat what he called ``silly mistakes'' from the first round, instead keeping the ball on the right side of the green. Singh took a step backward. He three-putted for bogey three times, and kept the damage to a minimum on the 13th by inverting his iron to play a left-handed shot from next to a tree. All it takes is one good round to get Singh back in the picture, but much of that depends on a rejuvenated Woods, and a 50-year-old who at times feels like a rookie.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/11/147931