Different Strokes: Woods renaissance could become pivotal moment

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  • The Masters will forever be remembered as the one where Jordan Spieth (R) announced himself to the world.

    It’s a safe guess that Tiger Woods did not need reminding that he is no longer 21, but on the off chance he did he was certainly disabused of that notion last week.

    Once upon a time Woods was the 21-year-old crown prince of Augusta National, the boy king who decimated the field and then slipped on the green jacket, but that was a while ago. This time he was in the crowd, watching on as another fresh-faced phenom, Jordan Spieth, emulated his achievements.

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    Woods, at 39, is now undeniably of a different generation, a different time—something many where already writing even before Spieth’s breakthrough display. Until last week many fans (and pundits) assumed that meant his winning days were gone as well—except, while Spieth was romping to victory, Woods was not-so-quietly making a real point of his own.

    In the end Woods finished in a tie for 17th, when many had anticipated that he would not get close to making the cut (some assumed he would not even get that far, withdrawing even before the first 36 holes were up).

    He would have finished even higher too, bar a final round collapse when fatigue, and the realization he had no chance of winning, combined to allow a few strokes to slip away. But for much of the third round Woods was on the fringes of contention, a rare achievement considering the chipping yips and wayward drives fans witnessed on his last two competitive appearances.

    Masters champion Jordan Spieth (L) and four-time winner Tiger Woods (R).

    “Well, considering where I was at Torrey and Phoenix, to make the complete swing change and rectify all the faults and come here to a major championship and contend, I’m proud of that part of it,” Woods said afterwards. “Just wish I could have made a few more timely putts and moved up that board.”

    This was classic Woods, dwelling on the few imperfections even when there were so many positives to bask in. But that’s what made him great in the first place, and now has many thinking it will eventually make him great again.

    It became relatively clear from the start of the week that Woods was confident about his chances, not just in his decision to play (shocker!) but also his bullish statements in his pre-tournament press conference and the revelation that—aided by his two children—he would also play in the par-three tournament, something he would never usually do.

    “I worked my ass off,” Woods said, talking about his time on the sidelines. “That’s the easiest way to kind of describe it.  I worked hard.

    “It was… people would never understand how much work I put into it to come back and do this again.  But it was sun-up to sun-down, and whenever I had free time; if the kids were asleep, I’d still be doing it, and then when they were in school, I’d still be doing it. So it was a lot of work.”

    At the par-three tournament, visibly relaxed by the presence of his kids, Woods dialed in a couple of birdies before allowing Sam, his daughter, to putt out for him on one hole–disqualifying him from the competition. Nevertheless, his performance in that exhibition alone saw his odds of victory slashed with all bookies. Expectations had been raised.

    When the tournament proper rolled around Woods missed the fairway off the first tee, as he was known to do even at his peak, and looked rusty for much of his opening 18. Nevertheless a 73 was no disaster, except for the fact the unstoppable Spieth had already roared out to 8-under par.

    With the cobwebs blown away the second round was more fluid and impressive, as Woods started with a tidy three and then birdied three of six holes around the turn (including the treacherous 11th) to card a round of 69. He had not just made the cut with ease, he had put himself in position to strike at the leaders too.

    Saturday is known as ‘Moving Day’ at any professional event, and it would prove to be not only when Tiger would make his move, but also show the clearest flashes of his old brilliance. At the ninth hole he missed the green exactly where you don’t want to—high and to the right—yet he produced a chip of such exquisite touch that he was able to roll in a six-foot putt for a par from a position that most other pros would have written off as a certain bogey.

    Then, at the 13th, Woods’ driving woes reared their ugly head once again—as far and away his worst swing of the tournament resulted in a duck hook into the trees barely 150 yards in front of him. The 14-time major champion threaded a punched long iron back onto the fairway, and then knocked a 175-yard approach to 15 feet.

    The putt dropped, resulting in a unexpected birdie and classic Tiger fist-pump. It was a truly electrifying moment.

    “I had my chances to make this a really special round today,” Woods noted afterwards. “I had… man, I had it going there for a little bit.

    [The] up-and-down at 9, that was pretty sweet. {And] A stupidly good birdie at 13.”

    That moment was to be the pinnacle of his tournament—when he was briefly both producing breathtaking moments and moving into contention—but the fact it got no better should not be too surprising. He has not played in two months, after all, and before that he was playing awfully (afterwards Woods said he “didn’t know” how long it had been since he had played so well).

    After a slow start (coupled with a flawless Spieth start) to his final round effectively ended any flimsy hopes Woods had of contending, the world No. 111 slowly faded away. A collision with a tree root at the ninth injured his wrist—Woods claimed a bone popped out, but he “put it back in”—and a closing 73 saw him slip down the final standings.

    Nevertheless it was a positive week, with fans and pundits excited to see what he will be able to do in his next competitive appearance.

    With the Open at St Andrews (where he was won twice before) later this year, suddenly there is hope that Woods will be a real contender in the majors once again. Perhaps the one thing he needs above all now is tournament practice, so the news he is to take another break is slightly disappointing (the wise money would suggest he will next tee it up at the Players Championship next month).

    This Masters will forever be remembered as the one where Jordan Spieth announced himself to the world. Woods, like everyone else, could only watch on—but in the story of his renaissance in this event might end up becoming a similarly pivotal moment.

    2. On the tee… a lady golfer?!

    One intriguing question to emerge (or, more accurately, re-emerge) from the week at Augusta National was a thorny one: When might we see a women’s Masters held at the famous course?

    In recent seasons we have seen the Women’s US Open take place at the same venue as the men’s tournament (and a week after they had vacated the course), while exhibition events have increasingly seen the two sexes play alongside and against one another. The prospect of a women’s Masters is not exactly a ludicrous proposition, indeed not having one might be less defensible in the modern climate.

    The idea is fraught with difficulties, of course; Augusta’s history with minority groups and the fairer sex is hardly stellar (in 2012 the course admitted its first female members, but there remains only two of them)—something that is perhaps in part explained by, but not remotely justified by, the committee’s notoriously atavistic ways.

    That has changed noticeably in recent years, however, with the recent introduction of the Drive, Chip & Putt championships for junior players (male and female) a case in point. The Masters committee clearly want to grow the game through its fun, innovative junior tournament, which enjoyed its second outing this year.

    “Whether measured by the remarkable golfing skills of these kids, or the countless smiles and high‑fives we constantly exchanged, the Drive, Chip & Putt is playing an important role in creating interest in our game among the youth all across America,” as club chairman Billy Payne said last week.

    Chairman Billy Payne waits on the first tee during the final round at The Masters.

    Crucially, the tournament invites both boys and girls in both age groups. With that being the case, can the committee really turn around and tell the participating girls that, unlike their male counterparts, they will never grow up to play the famous course?

    What possible justification could they come up with for that stance, when (not if) someone raises the inequality?

    “We have a very short member season at Augusta National,” Payne offered, when asked about the possibility of a women’s event at the start of last week (“I don’t think so” was his first response). “It’s seven months only. The time that we dedicate to the preparation and conduct of the tournament is already extensive. I don’t think that we would ever host another tournament.”

    This seems a slightly specious argument, especially considering the women’s event could presumably take place a week after the men’s one and cost the member’s exactly a week of playing time. If that is the case, surely the benefits outweigh the negatives for all concerned.

    Over time, Payne will surely have to come up with a better reason than that. Arguably nothing could do more to boost women’s golf than the introduction of their own Masters tournament, especially if it took place in close proximity to the men’s event.

    You sense Augusta National will resist the idea for as long as they possibly can, but eventually they will surely have to acquiesce.

    3. David Letterman, eat your heart out

    And to finish on a lighter note, we hand over to Matty (@MD_18undapar on Twitter) for his comprehensive recap of last week’s tournament. He’s quickly becoming the top pundit in the game (he’s certainly already miles ahead of Colin Montgomerie).

    A couple of quick observations:

    1. Alarmed he’s old enough to be taking such an interest in Rickie Fowler’s girlfriend.

    2. “Get your plastic club, let’s do this.”

    3. Again, is he old enough to be concerning himself with Lexi Thompson’s cover shoot?

    4. Did NOT expect the Manchester derby to make an appearance here.

    5. That’s better – his admiration for Morgan Goldstein feels much more wholesome.

    6. A Bit of Chedda Da Connects ‘Flicka dat wrist’ playing while talking about Tiger Woods’ wrist injury. Because it mentions the word “wrist”, and the segment is about a hurt wrist. WE SEE YOU, MATTY BOY.

    7. “What a great shot, Madame Condoleezza Rice. If you ever need a fourth…”

    8. You know you’re on the wrong side of the generation gap when the young guns are sticking up for a member of One Direction.

    9. Seriously, Matthew, stick to comic books and TV cartoons for at least a couple more years.

    10. No-one likes a know-it-all. Although fair play on absolutely nailing your prediction. Please feel free to email across your US Open pick

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