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| Height: 6-1 | |
| Weight: 185 | |
| Birthdate: December 30, 1975 | |
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| 2008 | 2009 |
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November 17, 2009 Stanford University reports former alum and golf icon Tiger Woods will serve as honorary captain this Saturday when the Cardinal (currently ranked 17th in the latest BCS Poll) welcomes rival California in what is commonly known as "The Big Game" on Saturday, according to the Associated Press. Our View:Stanford football coach Jim Harbaugh tells reporters it will be an honor to share the sidelines with "the greatest competitor of our generation." Woods has won 14 major championships and is the top-ranked golfer in the world (and has been since 1997). He will also be honored at halftime when Stanford will present Woods with a plaque signifying his induction into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. Woods spent two years at Stanford, winning the Pac-10 and NCAA championships in 1996. |
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November 16, 2009 As usual, Tiger Woods saved his best for last and thrilled the Aussie crowd at Kingston Heath, carding a round of 68 (-4) on Sunday to secure a win at the Australian Masters, according to the Associated Press. Our View:His first trip to the world's greatest island in 11 years, Woods entered the final day in a three-way tie for the lead only to open with three birdies over the first six holes, eventually taking a two-shot victory over Greg Chalmers. This is Tiger's 82nd win in international play as his first win in Australia gives him 13 countries conquered in professional golf. The Australian government ponied up half of the event's $3 million appearance fee to lure Tiger but estimates his visit pulled approximately $20 million in revenue. |
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November 11, 2009 Tiger Woods found three consecutive birdies on the back nine during his opening round at complete a card reading 66 (-6) to start his effort at the Australian Masters, according to the Associated Press. Our View:This is Tiger's first start on the world's greatest island in over a decade. He missed just two fairways on the day and found just one bogey for the round, that coming on the 18th hole. He is tied with James Nitties (a native) and Branden Grace from South Africa for the top spot in the tourney. Cameron Percy and Doug Holloway carded rounds of 67 while Greg Chalmers was in the group at 68. Geoff Ogilvy, the only other member of the world's top 50 at Kingston Heath, suffered a double bogey on his final hole for a round of 72. |
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November 8, 2009 While the matchup offered great intrigue, the turn of events put Tiger Woods out of the race for this week's HSBC Champions, the fourth event of the World Golf Championships. Woods carded a round at even part (72) in the final day of competition in Shanghai, finishing in a tie for 6th place, according to PGATour.com. Our View:Woods was six shots off the pace by the turn and had to fight just to stay on the radar. According to PGATour.com, this is the third time in his last four attempts Woods has been in the final group and left without a victory. Tiger now owns two 2nd-place finishes at this event (2005, 2006) along with today's fall from the top. He now owns 16 wins and 28 top-10 finishes in 31 starts at World Golf Championship events. His schedule at this personal website notes another week of interntional competition is on tap with a trip to Australia for the JBWere Masters. |
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November 6, 2009 Tiger Woods birdied five of his last 10 holes during second-round play today, carding a 5-under 67 (his second of the week) to seize a share of the 36-hole lead with Nick Watney in the HSBC Champions, final World Golf Championship of the year, according to the Associated Press. Seven of the top nine players on the leaderboard heading to the weekend hail from the United States, including Phil Mickelson as the world's made three birdies over the last four holes for a 66 to finish one shot behind the top spot. Our View:Woods has finished in 2nd place at the HSBC Champions twice before. After consecutive holes failing to make birdie with a wedge in his hand, he knocked in a 10-foot birdie on the ninth and was on his way. He reached the par-5 18th in two for one last birdie to catch Watney (70) at 10-under 134. They were one shot clear of Mickelson, Ryan Moore (69) and Alvaro Quiros. Anthony Kim and Pat Perez reside one stroke off that group, giving golf fans a wonderful environment to watch and enjoy this weekend. |
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November 3, 2009 This week's HSBC Champions, the newly-added fourth installment of the World Golf Championships series, will be the first time in their careers that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have engaged in professional competition in Asia, according to the Associated Press. Our View:Since the creation of the World Golf Championships in 1999, Tiger has emerged victorious in 16 of the 30 WGC events, including this year's Bridgestone Invitational. Mickelson has not been nearly as success at the WGC venues but he has served as the champion at the HSBC before (2007). Both golfers remarked to the AP reporters today that the opportunity to promote golf around the world while still playing in a PGA-sanctioned event has encouraged their decisions to include more international tourneys. This week's $7 million will be the largest in the history of professional golf in Asia. |
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October 20, 2009 Tiger Woods has won the points-based award as Player of the Year from the PGA of America, according to the Associated Press. This marks the 10th time Woods has won the PGA award. Our View:Tiger was also presented with the Vardon Trophy as well as the Byron Nelson Award from the PGA Tour for having the lowest adjusted scoring average at 68.05. It's the eighth time he has won the Vardon. He is also the recipient of the Tour's Arnold Palmer Award granted for securing the Tour's money title (the ninth time he has won this particular award), earning a touch more than $10.5 million. Still to be decided is the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, awarded to the Tour's Player of the Year, determined by a vote of the players. The other candidates, based on objective reasoning, may be Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson, each touting three wins on the Tour this season. |
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October 11, 2009 Tiger Woods defeated Y.E. Yang by a score of 6 & 5 in Match 31 to retain the Presidents Cup, according to USAToday. Our View:Yang led in the early going, but after Woods evened the match at the 3rd hole, Tiger then went on a run of winning four out of five holes starting at 5th hole to hold a 4-up lead at the turn. A birdie at the 11th hole widened the score to 5-up, then an 8-foot birdie at the 13th ended the match and earned the last point needed for the Americans to retain the Presidents Cup. Woods this week was a perfect 5-0 in his matches. |
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October 11, 2009 Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods won by a score of 4 & 2 over Y.E. Yang and Ryo Ishikawa in Match 21 of the Presidents Cup, according to USAToday. Our View:Stricker was on fire in the afternoon and he recorded seven birdies to give the Americans a 6-up lead with six holes to play. The International team countered by winning the next three holes, but their fate was finally sealed when Tiger Woods birdied the 16th hole. The win gives Stricker and Woods a perfect record in this year's President Cup and moved the Americans out to a 12 to 9 margin over the International team. |
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October 9, 2009 Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker steamrolled Geoff Ogilvy and Angel Cabrera 5&3 in four-ball play in Match 12 at the President's Cup, according to USAToday. Our View:After Woods fanned on an eagle putt at the 1st hole, Stricker's birdie chip-in to win the hole set the tone as they were never behind in the match. This point was secured just a couple of minutes after Ernie Els and Mike Weir evened the President's Cup at 4-1/2 apiece. The Woods-Stricker team is now 2-0-0 while Ogilvy and Cabrera are each 0-2-0 (with different partners). For his career in four-ball at this event, Woods is now a shockingly poor 4-8-0. |
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October 8, 2009 Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker defeated Geoff Ogilvy and Ryo Ishikawa 6&4 in Match 5 of today's foursomes at the President's Cup, according to USAToday. Our View:After trading birdies at the 1st hole, the Americans chased it with another at the 2nd for a 1-up lead. They never relinquished it, draining four more birdies, including a long-range job by Woods at the 14th to end it, giving the U.S. a 2-0 lead in the Cup. The victory increases Woods all-time President's Cup record in foursomes to 8-2-1. (Ogilvy drops to 0-3-0 in the format.) Captain Fred Couples would be crazy not to pair these two again. And again. And again. |
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October 7, 2009 Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker will be partners in the opening session of the Presidents Cup, and what already is a star attraction figures to get even more attention with who they are playing, according to the Associated Press. Our View:The Americans will face Ryo Ishikawa, the 18-year-old Japanese sensation who generates the kind of buzz in Japan that Woods gets around the world. Ishikawa will partner with Geoff Ogilvy, one of the best in match play over the last four years. Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim, a strong partnership at the Ryder Cup, will lead off the foursomes matches Thursday at Harding Park against Mike Weir and Tim Clark. There are six matches in the first session. |
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September 27, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a third round 1-under-par 69 and is two-strokes in back of Kenny Perry at THE TOUR Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods struggled on the day with either his approaches or converting birdie chances on the green. The highlight of the round came at the 11th hole where he dropped in a 49-foot putt for a bounce back birdie. He then made a two-putt birdie at the 15th to keep two-strokes in back of Kenny Perry. On Sunday, Woods will be looking for his 72nd career PGA Tour title and his second FedExCup championship. |
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September 25, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a second round of 2-under-par 68 and leads by a stroke over Padraig Harrington and Sean O'Hair at THE TOUR Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods bogeyed the 5th hole and then came back with three consecutive birdies starting at the 7th hole to lead by a stroke at the turn. On the back nine, Woods was able to expand the lead out to two strokes after a tap-in birdie at the par-5 15th hole, but a poor tee shot cost him a stroke at the final hole. The third round has been moved up to an 8 am EDT start due to the forecast of storms on Saturday afternoon. |
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September 23, 2009 Tiger Woods will start THE TOUR Championship as the top ranked player in the FedExCup Finals, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods started the season late due to rehab on his knee and he was still able to win five championships before the Playoffs. None of the championships was a major and that is only the third time in his career that he has failed to win a major during a season. In the Playoffs, he played well with a T-2 at The Barclays, a T-11 at the Deutsche Bank Championship and a win at the BMW Championship. Woods has played the East Lake course six times and has finished in the top-10 five times, including a championship in 2007. |
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September 13, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a final round of 3-under-par 68 and won the BMW Championship by eight-strokes over Jim Furyk and Marc Leishman, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods played a steady round after Saturday's round of 62 and at the turn his 1-under-par score was enough to maintain his seven-stroke lead. On the back nine, his lead did get cut to six-strokes briefly by Marc Leishman, but an 8-foot eagle at the par-5 15th hole gave him his final margin of victory. The victory is the fifth BMW Championship for Woods and it is his sixth championship this season. The win is also the 71st career title for Woods on the PGA Tour and he has regained first place on the FedExCup Points List. |
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September 11, 2009 Tiger Woods answered his opening 68 with a 4-under-par 67 in the second round of the BMW Championship, giving him a share of the 36-hole lead with Mark Wilson, according USAToday. Our View:Woods has had just one bogey in each round thus far while draining nine birdies thanks to a tidy 52 putts (23 GIR). The greens of Cog Hill are running fast, which help explain Woods' presence as a co-leader, but he'll need to dial in his irons a bit to stay in contention for his fifth title at the event. |
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September 10, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a 3-under-par 34-34=68 in his opening round of the BMW Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods' fantasy owners were in store for potentially something special after that blistering final-round 63 at TPC Boston. Instead, they settled for a solid effort that included just one bogey. Woods hit 12 GIR and took 27 putts, so the 68 is a fair score based on those numbers. |
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September 7, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a final round of 8-under-par 63 at the Deutsche Bank Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods started the day nine-strokes off the lead and he quickly moved up the leaderboard when he was 6-under-par after his first seven holes. It looked like he might have a chance for the course record when he opened the back nine with a 9-foot birdie-putt, but he gave the stroke back on the next hole and after that he could only pick up a couple of strokes to reach an aggregate score of 12-under-par. The score was good for a share of fifth place at the time he finished, but the leaders were just starting their rounds and Woods eventually finished in a tie for 11th place. Woods started the day in first place on the FedExCup Points List, but he fell 909 points behind Steve Stricker after his victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. |
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September 6, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a third round of 1-over-par 72 and is nine shots off the lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods was one-over-par at the turn and on the back nine he mixed in a couple of birdies with a couple of bogeys. He has had problems with his driving this week, and Woods has been missing a lot of short putts over the last two weeks. Coming into this week, Woods was ranked number one on the FedExCup Points List, but a win by Steve Stricker on Monday would leap him a 1,000 points past Woods. |
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September 6, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a second round of 4-under-par 67 and is seven strokes off the lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods was sitting on the cut line until the 12th hole, when he sank a 7-foot birdie-putt. He was able to put three more birdies on the card in his last seven holes to move him into an overnight tie for 28th place. |
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September 3, 2009 Ernie Els did not work hard enough after undergoing major surgery on his left knee in 2005, according to world No. 1 Tiger Woods, according to Reuters. "Ernie is not a big worker physically and that's one of the things you have to do with an ACL injury," said Woods, who had almost identical knee surgery last year. "I feel pretty good with what I've done and I think Ernie could have worked a little bit harder," the American said on the eve of the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second tournament of the PGA Tour's four-event FedEx Cup playoff series. Our View:South African Els was once riding high in the rankings but is now down in 20th place, having gone 41 tournaments without a victory. It has been nearly three years since Els spoke about a three-year plan to challenge Woods for the No. 1 spot. The three-time major winner has, instead, gone in the opposite direction in the rankings, although he has shown encouraging form lately. Els tied for eighth at the British Open in July and then tied for sixth at last month's U.S. PGA Championship before finishing one shot behind winner Heath Slocum at last week's FedEx Cup opener, the Barclays Classic in New York. |
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August 30, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a final round of 4-under-par 67 and finished in a four-way tie for second place at The Barclays, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods only blemish on the card came at the par-3 4th hole, but then he ran off three birdies in his next four holes to pull within a stroke of the lead. On the back nine, Woods was able to birdie the 14th and 16th holes to stay within a stroke of the lead, but his problems with reading the Liberty National greens continued on the final two holes when he couldn't convert make-able birdie putts. |
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August 29, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a third round of 4-under-par 67 and is five-stroke off the lead at The Barclays, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods ran off three consecutive birdies starting at the 5th hole and he was 3-under-par at the turn. He gave away a stroke to open the back nine, but he was able to pick up birdies at the 14th and 17th hole to go to 4-under-par for the tournament. Woods could have gone lower in the round, but he missed quite a few short putts on the tough greens of Liberty National. |
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August 26, 2009 Tiger Woods missed an uphill five-foot par putt on the par-4 third hole in his pro-am round Wednesday at Liberty National, then took the ball and tossed it up the steep slope and watched it nearly roll off the front of the green, according to the Associated Press. He didn't have to say a word to convey his feelings, instead rolling his eyes and flashing a bemused look as he headed for the next tee. He struggled on the undulating greens on the long, tight, links-style course before spending about 45 minutes on the practice green in preparation for the start of play Thursday in The Barclays. "They are tough. They are going to be severe this week," Woods said. "If the wind blows like this, it's going to be tough -- tough to get the ball close. Some of the more severe greens actually are the longest holes. And the holes that are 480 and above, it's going to be hard to get the ball close, but everyone's got to play them." Our View:"The first time we showed up here, it was a nightmare," said Bob Cupp, the course architect who teamed with Tom Kite to design the layout. "We were pretty sure any travesty known to man was on this property." Paul Fireman, the billionaire Reebok founder and chairman, brought in Cupp and Kite in 1992. After seemingly endless environmental studies and red tape, they broke ground in 2003 and opened the course in 2006. When they finished, they had a 160-acre layout with 4,000 feet of waterfront and magnificent views of the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan skyline and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft were founding members and Phil Mickelson, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and LPGA Tour player Cristie Kerr have joined the ultra-exclusive club. Liberty National is a big change for the tournament after 41 years at Westchester Country Club and one at Ridgewood Country Club, both traditional, tree-lined courses. |
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August 16, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a final round of 3-over-par 75 and finished in second place at the PGA Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods started the day with a two-stroke lead, and he had a chance early to pull away with birdie-putts on the opening holes, but each time he missed the putt. Troubles with his approaches and his putter continued through out the day, but he was still tied with Y.E. Yang going into the 14th hole. Yang was just short of the drivable par-4 14th and he was able to chip-in at the hole for an eagle to go a stroke up on Woods. Both players bogeyed the 17th hole, and Woods approach at the final hole found the found the greenside rough and a poor chip followed by another missed putt contributed to Yang's final three-stroke margin of victory. |
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August 15, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a third round of 1-under-par 71 and leads by two-strokes over Padraig Harrington and Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:The winds were blowing as a cold front moved through the area and Woods was less crisp with his approaches on Saturday. As he made pars other players were going low, and when Padraig Harrington made an 8-foot birdie-putt at the 14th hole, Woods found himself in tie for the lead. The tie was broken when Woods was able to blade in a wedge from off the green for a birdie at the 14th hole and it expanded out to two-strokes when Harrington bogeyed the final hole for the second time in two days. On Sunday, Woods will be looking for his 15th major title and his 71st career championship on the PGA Tour. |
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August 15, 2009 Tiger Woods answered his opening 67 with a 2-under-par 35-35=70 in the second round of the 91st PGA Championship, and will sleep on a four-stroke lead, according to USAToday. Our View:With the wind howling and Woods faced with an afternoon tee time, and therefore bumpy Poa annua greens, the world's #1 not only retained his lead, he extended it. He had three bogeys (1st, 10th and 18th holes) against five birdies to set up a run at his 15th title in a major and first since last year's historic U.S. Open. He'll go out in tomorrow's final pairing with two-time PGA champion, Vijay Singh, at 1:40 p.m. CT. |
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August 13, 2009 Tiger Woods crafted a bogey-free, 5-under-par 34-33=67 in the opening round of the 91st PGA Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:The surging four-time PGA champion finished with a one-stroke clubhouse lead over playing partner and defending champion, Padraig Harrington. It's his third career bogey-free opener in a major (2000 U.S. Open, 2000 British) and his second-lowest score in relation to par in the first round of a PGA (6-under 66, 2000 PGA). Woods won all three of those starts en route to the Tiger Slam. He's schedule to begin his second round at 1:45 p.m. CT on Friday. |
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August 9, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a final round of 5-under-par 65 to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by four-strokes over Padraig Harrington and Robert Allenby, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods started the day three-strokes off the lead, but after a 24-foot eagle-putt at the 2nd hole and 13-foot birdie-putt at the 4th hole he had tied Padraig Harrington for the lead. Woods took the outright lead at the next hole with a 13-foot birdie and by the turn he was up two-strokes. The back nine saw the lead shrink to a stroke after Harrington birdied the 11th, then Woods uncharacteristically carded consecutive bogeys starting at the 13th hole to give Harrington a stroke lead. The head-to-head match ended at the 16th hole when Woods stuck his approach at the par-5 right next to the hole, then Harrington playing quickly sent his approach over the green, which quickly turned into a four-shot swing when Harrington triple-bogeyed the hole. The victory is the seventh WGC-Bridgestone Championship for Woods and it is his 70th career championship on the PGA Tour. |
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August 8, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a third round of 5-under-par 65, which pulled him into second place, three-strokes off the lead, at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, according to Tiger Woods . Our View:Woods started out slow on his round, but a 17-foot bounce-back birdie at the 9th hole got him 1-under-par at the turn and seemed to ignite him for the back nine. A steady rain was falling his back nine, but Woods got hot with four birdies in his last six holes to briefly share the lead with Tim Clark and Padraig Harrington. On Sunday, Woods will be looking for his seven WGC-Bridgestone title and the 70th career championship on the PGA Tour. |
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August 2, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a final round of 3-under-par 69 and won the Buick Open by three-strokes, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods was briefly tied for the lead with Roland Thatcher, but after Woods first birdie of the day at the 4th hole, he took the lead for good. The lead expanded to two-strokes after a two-putt birdie at the par-5 7th, but his struggles with the driver continued for most of the round and he just ground out pars until his final birdie at the par-5 16th hole gave him his final margin of victory. The championship is the fourth of the year for Woods and it is his 69th career championship on the PGA Tour. The victory is also his third and most likely last Buick Open title, as most observers are expecting the event to end after the recent bankruptcy of General Motors. |
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August 1, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a third round of 7-under-par 65 and leads by a stroke at the Buick Open, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods had trouble with his driver and hit the fairway only five times, but his iron play was spectacular, which allowed him to post the round of 65. He was a shot behind the lead after he finished the round, but a sloppy double-bogey at the final hole by Michael Letzig gave Woods the outright lead. A victory for Woods on Sunday would be his fourth title of the season and it would his 69th career championship on the PGA Tour. |
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July 31, 2009 Tiger Woods followed his ugly 1-under-par 37-34=71 in the opening round of the Buick Open with a sparkling 9-under 30-33=63 in the second round, according to USAToday. Our View:A day after hitting 14 GIR but taking 32 putts, the world's #1 landed 16 GIR and needed just 26 strokes on the greens at Warwick Hills. He started on the 10th tee today, promptly burying five birdies and an eagle-2 (from 33 yards on the 12th) in his first seven holes. At an aggregate 10-under through 36 holes, Woods is two strokes off the clubhouse lead as the afternoon wave begins. |
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July 23, 2009 On his web site, Tiger Woods announced that he will compete in next week's Buick Open, according to USAToday. Our View:This is only a surprise because he hasn't competed in Grand Blanc since winning the Buick in 2006 (knee surgery in 2008). What's mildly intriguing is that he's committed despite no longer having an affiliation with the title sponsor. This will be the first of three consecutive starts for the world's #1, as he will tee it up at Firestone and the PGA Championship thereafter. He hasn't played in three straight anywhere since the run-up to the 2007 TOUR Championship. |
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July 14, 2009 A Tiger Woods grouping is always a crazy scene at a major championship, but it promises to be even more so at Turnberry when the British Open begins on Thursday as Ryo Ishikawa, Japan's teenage sensation, and Lee Westwood, one of Britain's best players, start the tourney with the Great One, according to Bob Harig with ESPN. They will tee off at 9:09 a.m. local time (4:09 a.m. ET) on Thursday and 2:20 p.m. (9:20 a.m. ET) on Friday. Our View:Woods, 33, has won three British Opens and will be gunning for his 15th major title. Ishikawa, 17, became the youngest winner on the Japan Tour when he captured the Munsingwear Open at age 15 two years ago. Last month he won the Mizuno Open to qualify for the Open Championship. He was invited to this year's Masters, becoming the second-youngest player to compete in the tournament. He has also received an invitation to next month's PGA Championship. Two-time defending champion Padraig Harrington is on the opposite side of the draw, getting a 2:20 starting time on Thursday along with Jim Furyk and Geoff Ogilvy. They will play at 9:09 on Friday. |
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July 5, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a final round of 3-under-par 67 and won the AT&T National by a stroke over Hunter Mahan, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods fell a stroke behind Anthony Kim after the first hole, but he took the lead by two-strokes after putting back-to-back birdies on the card starting at the sixth hole. On the back nine, he opened up with a 32-foot birdie-bomb, but for the fourth day in-a-row he had problems with the 11th hole and dropped a stroke after finding the creek with his tee shot. Woods found himself in a tie with Hunter Mahan going into the par-5 16th hole, and after finding rough, he was on the green in three. He then dropped a 20-foot birdie-putt to take the lead by a stroke. Woods parred the remaining two holes to win his own tournament for the first time. It is the third PGA Tour title for Woods this season and it is his 68th career championship on the Tour. |
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July 4, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a third round of even-par 70 and shares the lead with Anthony Kim at the AT&T National, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods started out slow and after a bogey at the sixth hole he found himself a stroke off the lead. He regained the lead with a birdie at the 8th hole and went three-shots up after dropping a 40-foot eagle-putt at the 9th hole. The lead didn't last long as Woods ran into a double-bogey at the 11th, which dropped him into a tie with the 50-year-old Michael Allen. A hard charging Anthony Kim took the lead soon after and Woods pulled into a tie with him after a tap-in birdie at the par-5 16th hole. On Sunday, Woods will be looking for his third championship on the season and 68th career title on the PGA Tour. |
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July 3, 2009 Tiger Woods followed his opening 64 with a 4-under-par 33-33=66 in the second round of the AT&T National, allowing him to assume the early clubhouse lead, according to USAToday. Our View:He hit four fewer fairways (8), two fewer GIR (13) and took an extra putt (28) than in his opening round, and still carded just one bogey. Woods has won 31 of 37 times in his career when leading after 36 holes. Expect fireworks tomorrow, literally. |
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July 2, 2009 Tiger Woods submitted a 6-under-par 31-33=64 in the opening round of the AT&T National, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods had all phases of his game on display today. He found 12 (of 14) fairways, 15 GIR and took just 27 putts, carding seven birdies along the way. The last time Woods went as low as 64 was in the 3rd round of the 2007 TOUR Championship at East Lake GC, also a par 70. |
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June 16, 2009 The shot of confidence he received from his impressive victory at the Memorial Tournament nine days ago is something Tiger Woods hopes to build on as he attempts to win his 15th major championship at this week's U.S. Open, according to ESPN. Woods played another nine-hole practice round Tuesday morning at Bethpage State Park's Black course, where the 109th U.S. Open begins on Thursday. "You need to get better," Woods said. "The whole idea of practicing this week was to make sure I became more comfortable on what we're working on and more efficient at doing it. I've had some good practice sessions at home, and my practice rounds here this week have been really good. [I'm] really looking forward to getting out there and competing and playing." Our View:Woods won the Memorial with a final-round 65 at Muirfield Village in Ohio, sinking birdies on the final two holes and hitting all 14 fairways. Woods had not done that at any tournament since 2003. He also hit 49 of 56 fairways for the tournament, a feat he last accomplished at the 1998 Masters. Woods said he went back to an old set of Nike irons, while changing the loft on his driver to 10.5 degrees. Woods will be paired during the first two rounds with British Open and PGA champion Padraig Harrington and Masters champion Angel Cabrera, with tee times at 8:06 a.m. ET on Thursday and 1:36 p.m. on Friday. |
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June 11, 2009 Tiger Woods will begin defense of his U.S. Open title on June 18 at Bethpage Black with an 8:06 a.m. (ET) pairing with Masters champion Angel Cabrera and PGA and British Open champion Padraig Harrington, according to the starting times released by the United States Golf Association as reported by ESPN. In a departure from last year's format of putting together the first- and second-round pairings based on the Official World Golf Rankings, the USGA decided to go with the three reigning major champions. Woods, Cabrera and Harrington will go off the 10th tee at 1:36 p.m. on Friday, June 19. Our View:Woods, who is coming off his second victory of the year at the Memorial, won last year's Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Woods also won the last Open played at Bethpage in 2002. Phil Mickelson, who is ranked No. 2 in the world and is playing despite the recent disclosure that his wife, Amy, has breast cancer, will tee off at 1:36 p.m. Thursday with South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, each of whom has won two U.S. Opens. Mickelson finished second to Woods in 2002 at Bethpage. There are 156 players in the field, with tee times beginning at 7 a.m. and running through 2:42 p.m. |
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June 7, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a final round of 7-under-par 65 and won The Memorial Tournament by a stroke over Jim Furyk, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods started the day four-shots off the lead, but at the turn he found himself a stroke in back of the leaders. On the back nine, a chip-in eagle at the par-5 11th from 44-feet pulled him back to within a stroke of lead and he tied for the lead after a birdie at the 15th hole. Woods then cost himself a stroke at the 16th after finding the bunker, but he made that up with birdies on his final two holes. None of the players left on the course could catch Woods and he eventually won by a stroke. Statistically, the Woods hit 14 of 14 fairways and took only 25 putts in his final round, after taking 32 putts to get around the course the day before. The victory is the second this season on the PGA Tour for Woods and it is his 67th career championship on the Tour. |
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June 7, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a third round of 4-under-par 68 and is in a tie for seventh place at the Memorial Tournament, according to USAToday. Our View: Woods was 1-under-par on the opening nine, but his round was jump started by an eagle at the par-5 11th hole. He got within a stroke of the lead with back-to-back birdies starting at the 14 hole, but an ugly three-putt bogey from 16-feet at the 17th hole eventually dropped him four-strokes in back of the leaders. It was a very good score, considering that he had 32 putts in the round, and he will have to putt better on Sunday, if he wants to win his fourth Memorial title. |
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June 5, 2009 Tiger Woods had his worst score in nearly two years -- a 2-over 74 -- and still was only six shots behind the leads (held by Jim Furyk and Jonathan Byrd) at the Memorial, according to Associated Press. "If you're missing it on the short side, you're not going to make pars here," Woods said after the 74, his highest score since also shooting a 74 in the second round of the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie. "You have to make sure you hit the ball on the correct side. I didn't do that today." Our View:Woods was at 1-under 143. That was only six shots from the lead with 36 holes to play, although he had 23 players ahead of him, a list that includes Ernie Els (70), Stewart Cink (72) and Davis Love III (68) at 4-under 140. He missed only two of the generous fairways in the second round, but bogeys kept piling up with shots that were just enough long or short to present problems. He went long on the 18th hole into rough and had no hope of getting the ball closer than 30 feet. And on the par-5 fifth, he came up short and in the water, compounding the error by missing a par putt inside 4 feet. |
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May 9, 2009 Tiger Woods signed for a 2-under-par 70 in the third round of THE PLAYERS, bringing his aggregate score to 6-under for the tournament, according to USAToday. Our View:For the second straight day, Woods hit just seven (of 14) fairways and 11 GIR, but managed five birdies, including a 8'9" dandy at the 17th hole. At the time he completed 54 holes, he was the clubhouse leader and four strokes off Alex Cejka's pace. Ultimately, Woods finished five strokes behind Cejka, but the two will be paired together in Sunday's final group. |
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May 5, 2009 Tiger Woods said he had not yet fully regained his renowned length off the tee or with his irons, after being sidelined for eight months following reconstructive knee surgery, according to Reuters. "The first tournament back, I just didn't have the pop in my body, nor should I," the American world No. 1 said Tuesday in the build-up to this week's Players Championship. I don't hit the ball the same distance with my irons or my driver, but it's coming," added Woods, who stands 29th in the 2009 PGA Tour's driving distance charts with an average of 293.5 yards. Our View:Woods shut down his campaign after winning his 14th major at the U.S. Open in June and did not return to the PGA Tour until the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February. After being eliminated in the second round of his comeback event, he has since won a title and recorded three other top-10s in just four stroke-play appearances. The Players Championship starts on Thursday when Woods will tee off in the company of fellow American Justin Leonard and South African Ernie Els. |
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May 3, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a round of even-par to finish in fourth place at the Quail Hollow Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods opened with a bogey to fall off the pace, but a tap-in birdie at the 8th pulled him back to even-par for the round and into a six-way tie for the lead. After that a cold putter prevented him from making any kind of run and he settled for ten pars in-a-row to close out the round. He is in next week's PLAYERS Championship, where he has three Top 10s in 11 starts, including a championship in 2001. |
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May 2, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a third round of 2-under-par 70 and is two-shots off the lead at the Quail Hollow Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods put three birdies and two bogeys on the card on the front nine and was two-shots off the lead at the turn. He posted birdies at the 10th and the 12th holes to take a share of the lead, and a 12-foot birdie-putt at the 15th hole gave him the outright lead. Woods then fell back down the leaderboard when he finished with back-to-back bogeys. On Sunday, Woods will be looking for his 67th career PGA Tour championship and his second title of the 2009 season. |
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May 1, 2009 Tiger Woods followed his opening 65 with an even-par 72 in the second round of the Quail Hollow Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:El Tigre hit just eight GIR today, which explains the inflated score (for him), but with just 53 putts through 36 holes, it's no wonder he's just one stroke off the halfway lead. Today's highlight occurred at the 9th hole, where Woods drained a 56-footer for birdie, but not before the ball took a couple of hops off the back rim. |
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April 30, 2009 Tiger Woods crafted a bogey-free, 7-under-par 65 in the opening round of the Quail Hollow Championship, according to USAToday. Our View:Proving tee ball accuracy matters not this week, Woods hit just five (of 14) fairways, relying instead on a precision iron game (14 GIR) and hot blade (26 putts). The 65 is a career low in 13 rounds at Quail Hollow and puts him in sole possession of the early clubhouse lead by three strokes.. |
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April 25, 2009 Tiger Woods will play in his first tournament since the Masters next week at the Quail Hollow Championship, according to ESPN. Woods has been off since mid-April, when his final-day charge came up short at Augusta National and he finished tied for sixth. Next week's tournament will serve as a tuneup for Woods ahead of the Players Championship a week later. "I feel good about the progress I've made," he said on his Web site. "I've been working hard to improve all aspects of my game but the big thing is I'm pain-free." Our View:Woods on Friday committed to the event formerly called the Wachovia Championship. He won the tournament in 2007, but couldn't defend last year because he was recovering from the first of two knee surgeries. Woods' commitment gives the Quail Hollow Championship, which begins Thursday, one of the best fields on the PGA Tour with 10 of the top 14 golfers in the world rankings. Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, defending champion Anthony Kim, Jim Furyk and Masters champion Angel Cabrera are scheduled to play. Woods long has been a fan of the Quail Hollow Club layout and will play in the tournament for the fourth time in seven years. He missed the inaugural event and did not play in 2006 following the death of his father. |
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April 14, 2009 Tiger Woods is one of 18 of the world's leading golfers to back the International Golf Federation's bid to have the sport included in the 2016 Olympic Games, according to Reuters. Woods has written personally and sent a 32-page brochure outlining the bid to the International Olympic Committee. Ireland's Padraig Harrington, winner of two majors last year; Fiji's Vijay Singh; Europe 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie; and Spain's Sergio Garcia also have written to their respective Olympic committee representatives to try and restore golf to the Olympic lineup for the first time in more than 100 years. "As we have consistently stated from the outset of the bid process, it is imperative that the best players in the world support golf's Olympic effort," Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A and joint secretary of the IGF, said. Our View:Dawson said in a statement that this campaign would give golf "the best chance of being selected by the IOC to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games." The IGF's Olympic committee, which represents golf's main organizations and tours, hopes to claim one of two spots made available for new sports at the 2016 Games. Golf faces competition from baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash, with the IOC's final vote taking place in October when the host city also will be chosen. Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo are the contenders. |
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April 11, 2009 Tiger Woods posted a third round of 2-under-par 70 and is seven-strokes off the lead at The Masters, according to USAToday. Our View:Woods got off to a disastrous start on the opening hole with a poor tee shot, which lead to a 3-putt double-bogey. He was able to make the strokes back by the turn, and after a bogey at the 11th hole, he put three birdies on the card to finish at 4-under-par for the tournament. Woods currently is in a nine-way tie for 10th place and will need a final round of historic proportions to put any kind of pressure on the leaders. |
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April 9, 2009 Tiger Woods submitted a 2-under-par 70 in the opening round of the Masters, according to USAToday. Our View:In his first major since the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Woods had little going until he stiffed an approach at the 9th hole, where he posted his first birdie of the round. Birdies at 13, 14 and 15 gave him a chance to post his first sub-70 round in 15 appearances at the Masters, but a bogey at the last played spoiler. He'll go off at 10:45 a.m. local time in Friday's second round. A chance of storms remains in the forecast after 2:00 p.m. on Friday, and the wind could gust up to 25 mph for the latest starters. |
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April 8, 2009 In the midst of the drama of his first major since returning from surgery, Tiger Woods posted a special blog today live from Augusta and feels he is in form to put forth a strong effort, according to PGATour.com. "Obviously, there is a lot of excitement for the first major tournament of the year. I feel good about my game and had good practice sessions with Hank Haney. I didn't work on anything specific; just did a lot of fine-tuning," Tiger stated, also noting some potential changes in his bag. "I'm bringing a 2-iron and a 5-wood, and won't decide which one to carry until after I play my practice rounds. A lot will depend on how the fourth hole is set up." Our View:Tiger also revealed he would not be taking part in the par 3 on Wednesday. "I will likely skip the par-3 Tournament on Wednesday. I played in it about every year until 2005. You play a practice round in the morning, then sit around for your tee time. It just becomes a long day and takes away from your main preparation. I'm sure there will be a day when I come back and play, especially when Sam and Charlie get a little older and can caddie for me." |
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March 29, 2009 With those familiar back-nine heroics and a putt most everyone knew he was going to make, Tiger Woods holed a 15-footer for birdie to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard for his first victory since returning from knee surgery, according to the Associated Press. Woods closed with a 3-under 67 for a one-shot victory over hard-luck Sean O'Hair, matching his largest comeback on the PGA TOUR. Woods also earned 500 FedExCup points and moved from 110th to 12th in the latest standings. "It feels good to be back in contention, to feel the rush," Woods said. "It's been awhile, but God, it felt good." Zach Johnson shot 69 and finished third, moving from eighth to fifth in the FedExCup. Our View:Just like last year, when Woods made a 25-foot birdie on the final hole at Bay Hill for a one-shot victory, he delivered a high-charged celebration. Instead of slamming his cap to the ground, he turned and ran into the arms of his caddie, who lifted him off his feet. Woods won at Bay Hill for the sixth time, the third PGA TOUR event he has won at least that often. O'Hair made only one birdie and closed with a 73, but he steadied himself along the back nine until a crucial mistake on the 16th hole, when he went at the flag with Woods in the rough. His 7-iron came up short and into the water, leading to a bogey. It was the second straight year that O'Hair had to watch Woods celebrate. They were in the final group a year ago when Woods made his big birdie putt to beat Bart Bryant. This one stung even more. |
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March 28, 2009 Tiger Woods' streak of four straight rounds in the 60s ended with a 1-over 71, five shots back of leader Sean O'Hair, according to the Associated Press. Woods, the defending champion and a five-time winner at Bay Hill, was fortunate to be only five behind. He made bogey putts of 10 feet and 25 feet on the last three holes, the last one on No. 18 after Woods never found a shot that plugged into the bank of the lake. O'Hair and Woods were part of a five-way tie after 54 holes last year, and Woods won with a 25-foot birdie on the last hole. Our View:Woods, who had a 71, has never won at Bay Hill when trailing going into the last round. His largest comeback on the PGA TOUR was five shots at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2000. In 2008, Woods was four strokes behind Martin Kaymer entering the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic and came back to win with birdies on five of his final seven holes. Because of rain in the forecast, the starting times Sunday will be threesomes in the middle of the day. If the forecast for heavy overnight rain holds true, it could drastically change a Bay Hill course that has been firm, fast and tough all week. |
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March 27, 2009 Tiger Woods carded a 1-under-par 69 in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, according to USAToday. The defending champion, Woods' round included chip-ins for birdie-3s at Nos. 8 & 10. At the halfway point of last year's Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods was tied for 20th. This year he enters the weekend in fifth place, five shots behind Sean O'Hair for the top spot. "You can make bogeys in a heartbeat out there today because the greens are ... not accepting shots very well," Woods said. Our View:Woods continues to do what he does best, minimizing mistakes and using par to his advantage. He also added a little luck into the equation today, with hole-outs from six yards on the 10th hole and 13 yards on the 8th. Through 36 holes, he's hit just half his fairways and GIR and sits 3-under-par, proving that his game around and on the greens is rounding into form. If he isn't in the lead by the end of the day, he'll be able to see it. |
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March 25, 2009 Tiger Woods says he will play the HSBC Champions in China the week before he heads to Melbourne for the Australian Masters, according to the Associated Press. Our View:Woods shut down his overseas travel in 2007 after the birth of his first child, and couldn't play last year as he recovered from knee surgery. He announced last week he would play in Australia for the first time since the Presidents Cup in 1998. The trip Down Under comes with a $3 million appearance fee, half of which comes from taxpayers in the state of Victoria. Woods defended the appearance money when asked about it at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard on Wednesday. "This is the only place that doesn't have appearance fees," Woods said of the PGA TOUR. "Most of the guys get appearance fees to play around the world. I've played all around the world and I've thoroughly enjoyed going. Obviously, there's some controversy behind it, but I'm really looking forward to getting down there and competing." But it won't be his first appearance at the tournament in Shanghai. He was runner-up in 2005 and 2006. Phil Mickelson won the HSBC a year later. |
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March 25, 2009 The Governing Board of the Official World Golf Ranking announced today that Tiger Woods has been named the recipient of the 2008 Mark H. McCormack Award, according to PGATour.com. The award, which has been won by Woods every year since its inception in 1998, is presented annually to the player who holds the No. 1 position on the Official World Golf Ranking for the greatest number of weeks in each calendar year. "Tiger is to be commended for earning the McCormack Award the 11th consecutive year," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. "This award is a direct reflection of the tireless work ethic he has displayed to remain the world's top-ranked player for such an extended period of time." Our View:Tiger is currently riding a streak of 198 consecutive weeks at No. 1 as of March 16, 2009, which is still short of his own record of 264 consecutive weeks from August 1999 to August 2004. He achieved world top-10 status in a record 33 weeks after turning professional and has remained in the top-10 since then for 624 successive weeks, having reached the World No.1 position at the record youngest age of 21 years and 24 weeks in a record 42 weeks after turning professional. He's been No. 1 for a record 540 weeks during his career. Greg Norman is second with a total of 331 weeks at No. 1 between 1986 and 1998. |
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March 20, 2009 Tiger Woods will make his third start of the 2009 season at next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, according to PGATour.com. Woods made the announcement on his official Web site. The field for the Arnold Palmer Invitational will be set at 5 p.m. ET on Friday. "I've had good success there," Woods said on his site. "We all love to support Arnold's tournament -- he helped put professional golf on the map. Plus, I get to sleep in my own bed." Our View:Woods is the defending champion and a five-time winner at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, which is just a short distance from his home in the Orlando, Fla., area. Since returning from an eight-month layoff following reconstructive knee surgery after his win at last year's U.S. Open, Woods has played two World Golf Championships events -- last month's Accenture Match Play Championship, where he lost in the second round to Tim Clark; and the CA Championship two weeks ago at Doral, where he tied for ninth after shooting 11 under for the week, eight strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson. Last year at Bay Hill, Woods won by sinking a 25-foot putt on the 18th hole Sunday to beat Bart Bryant by one stroke. |
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March 19, 2009 Tiger Woods will play at the Australian Masters in November, his first tournament appearance Down Under since 1998, according to the Associated Press. A government spokesman confirmed premier John Brumby's comments in a Melbourne newspaper that Woods would play in the event at Kingston Heath, scheduled for Nov. 12-15. "We are delighted Tiger Woods has chosen to come to Melbourne, further cementing our position as the major events capital of the world," Brumby told the Herald Sun newspaper. Our View:Brumby predicted the visit by the world's top golfer would earn Victoria state $12.54 million in economic benefits, which would offset Woods' $3 million appearance fee. Woods, who was not immediately available for comment, is very selective about his appearances outside of the United States. It will be Woods' fourth tournament appearance Down Under and first since the 1998 Presidents Cup, when the U.S. lost to the International team at Royal Melbourne. Woods was 1-1 in foursomes play, 0-2 in fourball and beat Greg Norman in singles as the Americans were beaten 20 1/2 to 12 1/2. His first visit was at the 1996 Australian Open at The Australian course in Sydney, where Woods finished tied for fifth, 12 strokes behind winner Norman. He played in the 1997 Australian Masters at Hungtingdale in Melbourne, where he finished tied for eighth in the event, seven shots behind winner Peter Lonard of Australia. Woods also played in the 2002 New Zealand Open at the Paraparaumu Beach course north of Wellington, where he finished tied for sixth, six strokes behind winner Craig Parry. |
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March 16, 2009 Tiger Woods finally made some meaningful putts, even if they were for par, as he teamed with John Cook to win a fourballs match Monday in leading Isleworth to a 6-4 lead over Lake Nona in the Tavistock Cup, according to the Associated Press. Woods and Cook had a 9-under 63 to defeat Henrik Stenson and Chris DiMarco in the opening match. Isleworth captain Mark O'Meara and Darren Clarke followed with a 62 for a two-stroke victory over Mark McNulty and Ben Curtis. Graeme McDowell and Retief Goosen shot a 60 for a four-shot victory over J.B. Holmes and Daniel Chopra. Lake Nona won its other match when Justin Rose and Ian Poulter shot a 61 to win by one shot over Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby. Charles Howell III and Nick O'Hern gave Isleworth its other victory with a 62 to win by three over Lake Nona captain Ernie Els and Masters champion Trevor Immelman. Our View:The Tavistock Cup is between two high-profile golf clubs in Orlando where several prominent PGA Tour players are members. The opening round was fourballs, in which two points were awarded for the lowest score. Lake Nona won two matches with the best two scores of the day. The final round Tuesday features two players from each club competing in singles medal-match against each player from the other club. Woods will play with O'Meara against Poulter and Stenson. That means Woods will match his score against Poulter and Stenson. |
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March 13, 2009 In his first stroke-play event since missing approximately eight months following knee surgery, Tiger Woods shot a second-round 2-under-par to move to T35 and 3-under for the tournament, according to PGATour.com. Woods again struggled with his distance control, the frustration growing with every shot too long or too short, leaving him few birdie chances. He made some progress, though -- a 70, one shot better than the day before. But he was at 3-under 141 and in a tie for 35th in the 80-man field at this World Golf Championship. Told that leader Phil Mickelson was disappointed he could not face Woods, the world's No. 1 player smiled. "Me, too," he said. "What am I? Ten back? That's not a very good spot to be in. Hopefully, tomorrow I can shoot a good round and at least give myself somewhat of a chance going into Sunday." Our View:Woods returned from knee surgery two weeks ago in match play, but this is first stroke-play event since he won the U.S. Open last June, and it showed. It was the first time in his 19 starts at a World Golf Championships event that he has failed to break 70 the first two rounds. At T36, this is his worst standing through two rounds at this tournament. His previous worst at the CA Championship was five strokes off the lead in 2004 at T9. The T35 is also Woods' worst position through two rounds since being T59 at the 2007 PLAYERS Championship. |
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March 12, 2009 In his first stroke-play event since winning the U.S. Open last summer, Tiger Woods managed only three birdies on a Blue Monster course where he has never finished out of the top 10. He wound up with a 71 to tie for 40th in an 80-man field, according to the Associated Press. "It was not like I was playing poorly and shot 71," Woods said. "I played well and just didn't make any putts." Our View:When he returned to competition after his eight-month hiatus from knee surgery, Woods only had to worry about beating one player at a time in the Accenture Match Play Championship. Stroke play is about posting a score and maneuvering his way up the leaderboard. But he didn't have many close looks at birdie, picking up two of them on par 5s and the other one with a 7-iron that stopped a foot from the hole on the par-3 15th hole. Consider this a slow start. It's one thing to be six shots behind after the opening round, quite another when 35 players separated him from the top of the leaderboard, a familiar position for Woods at Doral. "You are going to have days like today," Woods said. "And I would be obviously a little bit more disappointed, a little more frustrated, if I had not played well. I felt like I hit the ball well, hit putts well, but they just didn't go in. I have to be a little bit sharper tomorrow. Hopefully, those putts go in tomorrow and the score will be a little different." |
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March 6, 2009 After his second-round loss at last week's WGC-Accenture Match Play, Tiger Woods will play his first stroke-play tournament since his ACL surgery at the WGC-CA Championship starting Thursday, according to ESPN. The March 12-15 tournament will be played at Doral, site of three victories in Woods' professional career. He took home the title every year from 2005 to 2007 and finished fifth last year. "Tiger returning to the CA Championship for his first stroke-play event since getting injured is absolutely huge for the south Florida community," tournament director Eddie Carbone said. Our View:Unlike at the WGC-Match Play, Woods is assured four rounds because the event doesn't have a 36-hole cut. He hasn't played a full 72-hole tournament since his 91-hole U.S. Open playoff victory last June at Torrey Pines. Overall, Woods owns 15 World Golf Championship titles and has never finished outside the top 10 in his career at Doral. Geoff Ogilvy, the Match Play champion for the second time in four years, is the defending champion at Doral. Ogilvy won last year by one shot over Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh, with Woods another shot behind. |
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February 27, 2009 With Tiger Woods eliminated from the Accenture Match Play Championship, Hank Haney stayed behind after his famous client had jetted off following his defeat to Tim Clark on Thursday, and Haney was generally upbeat about what had transpired this week, despite the 4-and-2 defeat, according to Bob Harig with ESPN. "The amount of satisfaction I have is related to how Tiger feels he did, and he felt like he did well," Haney said. "He told me he thought he hit the ball real well, and I thought he did, too. I thought he hit a lot of great shots. The goal was to start getting some rounds of golf in and the goal obviously is to be ready for [the Masters at] Augusta. I didn't see anything in the last two days that made me think he won't be ready for Augusta." Our View:For the 32 holes Woods played, he was 5 under par. If it were a stroke-play event, he would not have been leading, but he certainly would have been in the mix. For comparison, Sean O'Hair won his match Thursday over Boo Weekley despite being 1 over par. Anthony Kim was 4 under in his match against Oliver Wilson and lost. Woods returned to the PGA Tour after nine months away due to surgery to replace the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He didn't swing a club for nearly six months and did not begin to hit full shots with a driver until January. Woods said Thursday he had no problems with the knee and seemed encouraged that he was able to handle so much walking on hilly terrain without any issues. Now the wait begins again to see when Woods will play next, although it is not expected to be very long. Although he did not commit, Woods is likely to play in the next World Golf Championship event, the CA Championship at Doral, which begins March 12. |
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February 26, 2009 South African Tim Clark found the key to ending the triumphant return of Tiger Woods, taking the world's greatest golfer 4&2 in the second round in the Jones Bracket of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championships, according to USAToday. Our View:Clark truly won this more than Woods lost it, as the South African played bogey-free golf in 6-under-par including the birdie concession at the 16th hole. Afterwards, Woods said that he felt that he played well, but didn't sink enough birdies (he had four, including one from the bunker on 14). He is the final #1-seed to bow out of this event. Clark advances to the third round, where he will face Rory McIlroy. |
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February 25, 2009 Tiger Woods downed Brendan Jones 3&2 in the first round in the Jones Bracket of the WGC-Match Play, according to USAToday. Our View:Sending an early message, Woods pured a pair of approaches on the first two holes en route to a birdie and conceded eagle, and was never down in the match. He scored 4-under-par on the round, closing out the hopeful but overmatched Aussie with a par 3 at the 16th. Woods advances to face Tim Clark in the second round. |
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February 24, 2009 Tiger Woods sent an ominous warning to his rivals on Tuesday by saying his short game was better than ever after being sidelined for eight months due to reconstructive knee surgery, according to Reuters. "My short game has gotten a little bit better," Woods said in a news conference after playing his first practice round at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. "I've got more shots than before just because I've spent so much time on it, chipping and playing all the different shots around the greens. Some I had forgotten I had over the years. I kind of remembered how to hit them again, which was nice." Our View:Woods, arguably the greatest player of all time, said he always knew he would return to the game after his third knee surgery in the last five years. Although Woods experienced several periods of extreme frustration during his rehabilitation, he was delighted to have a strong left knee for the first time in a decade. Woods also felt a little uncertain about how his game would stand up to the rigors of match play golf on a layout measuring 7,833 yards off the back tees. "Both legs have been stronger than they ever have been," he said. "Stability is something I haven't had in years so it's nice to make a swing and not have my bones move." |
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February 24, 2009 Tiger Woods had a good round of practice for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, missing just one fairway on the front nine, which occurred when a photographer snapped a picture on his backswing, according to ESPN.com. Our View:Woods was not happy with the photographer, and called him out. He proceeded to tee the ball back up and knock it straight. It was his first round since surgery to repair his ACL. |
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February 20, 2009 Through his rehabilitation of his surgically repaired knee and the various stages of getting his golf game back in shape, Tiger Woods had two tournaments pegged as the most likely places for his return to the PGA Tour. Were it not for the timing of the birth of his second child, Woods said Friday, he could have come back earlier than next week's Accenture Match Play Championship, where he will play for the first time in more than eight months, according to Bob Harig from ESPN. "It was either going to be Match Play or Doral," Woods said in a conference call with golf writers, his first public comments since his return was announced Thursday. "It depends on how I was recovering and the birth of our child. The timing of that determined when I was going to play. It was basically going to be one of those two tournaments. As I was practicing and getting ready, that was sort of my timetable. And with Charlie coming on time, my practice schedule being very positive … I thought this was the time to get back and play again." Our View:Woods will return at a tournament he has won three times, including last year. But the tournament has moved to a brand-new course in Tucson, Ariz., the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain. And nothing is guaranteed. Woods could be eliminated after the first round or advance all the way to the weekend, when the possibility of walking 36 holes a day exists. Despite having played and practiced every day for most of the past two months, Woods said he is unsure whether his game will be rusty. Although Woods mentioned Doral -- the CA Championship, which begins March 12 in Miami -- as another possible place for his return, he said his schedule is uncertain beyond the Match Play. "The frustrating thing is I haven't been able to make out my schedule like I normally do," Woods said. "I have to take this tournament by tournament. I don't know how this thing is going to behave in a competitive environment. It's one of the things I'm looking forward to testing." |
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February 19, 2009 Tiger Woods announced Thursday on his Web site that he will play in next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, according to Jason Sobel of ESPN. It will be his first tournament since having reconstructive ACL surgery after winning the U.S. Open last June. "I'm now ready to play again," Woods said as part of a five-paragraph statement posted on tigerwoods.com. The Match Play Championship begins Wednesday in Tucson, Ariz., where Woods will end his 253-day break from competition. Our View:Woods will be under greater scrutiny than usual when he returns at Match Play. The eight-month break is his longest ever, and there are questions of rust and whether he had to modify his swing after surgery. Woods is a three-time winner of the Accenture Match Play Championship, but no tournament is more unpredictable. Even on two good legs, Woods once lost in the first round to unheralded Peter O'Malley of Australia. His return could last only one day. He could also advance to the weekend, where Woods might face as many as 36 holes a day. Unless someone withdraws -- Justin Rose is one possibility because his wife is expecting their first child any day -- Woods will play Brendan Jones of Australia in the first round. |
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February 18, 2009 John Cook spent another day playing golf with Tiger Woods this week, and the long-time friend and neighbor of the world's No. 1 golfer doesn't know when Woods will return to the PGA Tour, but Cook has little doubt how Tiger will fare, according to Bob Harig with ESPN. "From what I saw yesterday, he could step right in anywhere, just like he never left," Cook said Wednesday at the TPC Treviso Bay, where he will play in this week's ACE Group Classic. "I know that he has put the hammer down a couple of times ... and that is trouble. I'm glad I'm doing what I'm doing here. I can't imagine just the few times that he's going to compete out there. I can't imagine that he's going to lose much sleep over anything." Our View:Cook, an 11-time PGA Tour winner who has also won twice on the 50-and-older tour, lives in the same Orlando community as Woods and said he has played with him several times in recent weeks. Woods is recovering from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery in his left knee. The surgery occurred in late June, eight days after Woods defeated Rocco Mediate in a playoff to win the U.S. Open. That was Woods' 14th major championship and 65th PGA Tour title. He hasn't played in a tournament since. Cook said he saw Woods practicing in December, when he was first getting into hitting full shots but being careful. "I know what he's shooting for but I think with the arrival of little Charlie he might have changed or adjusted his schedule a little bit," Cook said. "It makes sense to play next week but then it doesn't because you're not guaranteed anything more than one round and that's not what he's really looking for." |
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February 16, 2009 Mark O'Meara said Sunday that Tiger Woods looks better than ever and is ready to return to the PGA Tour, but he stopped short of saying the world's No. 1 player would be at the Accenture Match Play Championship that starts Feb. 25, according to the Associated Press. Woods has not played since reconstructive surgery on his left knee a week after winning the U.S. Open in June. Tom Jenkins, a co-leader at the Allianz Championship on the Champions Tour, had said Saturday that O'Meara told him Woods had planned to return at Match Play, and if not then, play Doral and Bay Hill in Florida. O'Meara has been close friends with Woods since he joined the PGA Tour in 1996 at age 20. "He hasn't told me personally when he's going to start back, but I know he's pretty much almost ready to start back, so I wouldn't be surprised," O'Meara said. "But I don't make his schedule, and I know that everybody always wants me to tell everybody when he's going to play, but I don't know what he's going to play." Our View:Woods is the defending champion at Match Play and has an endorsement deal with Accenture. He is expected to be in Arizona next week for a corporate obligation, although that doesn't mean he will play. Woods has until Friday to decide. O'Meara said he saw Woods on Wednesday to congratulate him on the birth of his son, and in a recent round of golf with Woods, "He's hitting them really well." |
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February 11, 2009 Tiger Woods says football players who have the kind of knee surgery that ended his season usually are not at their best for two years, according to the Associated Press. "Luckily, I don't play football," Woods said Monday. "The healing process for an ACL is six months," Woods said Monday during a video conference to announce the 16-man field for his Chevron World Challenge presented by Bank of America in December. "No matter what I try to do, I can't speed up that process. That puts me into January. Unfortunately, I can't rotate, I can't practice on that leg until then. I believe the stat is after six months, the ACL is 85 percent in strength, and then over the next year-and-a-half, it will gain its 100 percent strength," he said. "So it's basically a two-year process." Our View:Woods said his knee will probably be no more than 85 percent strong when he returns, but he sees no reason why he can't get back to the level of play that brought him nine victories in 12 official events this year, no finish worse than a tie for fifth. He said his nine months of competition, from an eight-shot victory in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational through his playoff victory at the U.S. Open for his 14th career major, was the best stretch of his career. In the only three tournaments he didn't win between August 2007 and June 2008, Woods finished two shots behind Phil Mickelson at the Deutsche Bank Championship; two shots behind Geoff Ogilvy at Doral; and three shots behind Trevor Immelman at the Masters. |
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February 9, 2009 The uncertainty facing Tiger Woods at the start of the year is almost cleared up. He is practicing at full strength with no restrictions, and playing golf at his home course in Florida. He became a father again when his wife gave birth to a boy on Sunday -- Charlie Axel Woods. The only thing left is when he returns to the PGA Tour, according to the Associated Press. The first possibility is the Accenture Match Play Championship, where he is the defending champion, which starts Feb. 25. "I don't know what this affects," tournament director Wade Dunagan said Monday afternoon. "We're hopeful he'll make the Accenture Match Play Championship his first event back. The truth is, I don't know where we stand with that. It's one less obstacle, but he may want to stay home for another week now that the baby is born." Our View:Woods likely won't be available to comment until he shows up at a tournament, so the significance of his son's name was not clear. His daughter's name -- Sam -- was the pet name that Earl Woods called a young Tiger. Woods said last week that his return depends largely on the birth of his child, which "takes precedent over anything I do golf-wise." We will keep you posted as soon as Tiger let's us in on his plans. |
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February 3, 2009 Although he did not say exactly when he will return to the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods said Tuesday in a newsletter posted on his Web site that his practice is "full-bore" and that while he awaits the birth of a second child he is also "excited about returning to competition," according to Bob Harig with ESPN. Woods, still the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, has not played since June 16 when he defeated Rocco Mediate in a U.S. Open playoff at Torrey Pines in San Diego -- his 14th major championship and 65th PGA Tour title. Surgery to replace the ACL in his left knee kept Woods, 33, from even swinging a golf club until December. Last month, he began hitting full shots and went back to work with his instructor Hank Haney with the hope of returning before The Masters in April. "I'm full-bore with my practice sessions and have no restrictions," Woods posted on his Web site, tigerwoods.com. "It's just a matter of getting my golf endurance up. I don't have my golf stamina back yet." Our View:Woods also talked about meeting President Obama when he spoke at inauguration festivities on Jan. 18, looking forward to teeing it up on tour with old friends Notah Begay and Chris Riley, both of whom regained their PGA Tour cards, and regretting being unable to compete this week at Torrey Pines. "I'm working hard to get myself back into tournament shape and will return as soon as I'm ready," Woods said. When that is remains unknown, but Haney said during a recent interview that he expects that Woods will not return until he feels he is ready to win. |
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February 3, 2009 Many are wondering how Tiger Woods will feel physically when he makes his first post-surgery start on the PGA Tour. One of the things we can be fairly confident about is that Tiger will not be concerned with pain in his knee when he returns to competition, according to Stephania Bell of ESPN. According to Bell, the truly painful phase postoperatively is typically within the first three to four months. The pain lingers until the swelling has subsided, the wound has healed and the muscles have recovered enough to control the leg during everyday activities. Once those targets have been met -- and barring any major setbacks -- pain is no longer a real issue. Our View:The absence of pain can be deceiving, often leading athletes to think they are ready for competition when they might still have a long way to go. Certainly other athletes have rushed to return to their sports after similar injuries, including golfers, and the results have not always been pretty, as was the case of PGA Tour veteran Brad Faxon, who ultimately required a second ACL surgery when his knee problems persisted after he returned to the game. Woods has been adamant that he is not pushing himself to take any chances as far as coming back too quickly. In addition to his disciplined physical rehabilitation and fitness regimen, he has been steadfast in his mental approach of maintaining a slow and steady pace. When asked in December if he was tempted to come back sooner than he should, Woods' answer was clear. "No, because … one, I don't want to go through this process again; and two, I'm not ready yet." |
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January 30, 2009 Tiger Woods is not listed in the published field of next week's Buick Invitational, according to PGATour.com. The deadline to commit for the published field dropped at 5:00 p.m. ET today and Woods is notorious for being the last golfer to make his entry official. At the end of 2008, some speculated that he would make his return at Torrey Pines, site of his epic U.S. Open title. Our View:Officially, Woods has until 30 minutes after play ends at the FBR today to commit to the Buick Invite. Barring that rarity, the next suspected site for his first start of 2009 is the WGC-Match Play on February 25, although the birth of his second child in February could affect it. |
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January 20, 2009 Even though he hasn't played since the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods is eligible for drug testing. He said last month the PGA Tour did not come to his house for the test, even though he was expecting a visit, according to the Associated Press. "If, in fact, Tiger has not been tested -- and I'm not in a position to say whether he has or hasn't -- it would mean that he didn't pop up in the random poll, I think before he got hurt," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. "And if he was on the selected list, which he may or may not have been ... we reserved the right in certain situations to go outside the scope of the tournament and test, and we may or may not have done that. But if he says he wasn't tested, it's one of those reasons." Our View:Finchem would not say who was tested. Finchem said the tour has random testing, selective testing (when it singles out players to be tested) and regular testing for those who might have a history of substance abuse. |
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January 16, 2009 Tiger Woods, who has tried to stay out of politics during his ascent to become one of the world's most famous athletes, has accepted an invitation to speak at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday as part of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration festivities, according to the Associated Press. Woods posted a short statement on his Web site to say he would speak at "We Are One," a concert and celebration that will be broadcast live on HBO and feature entertainers such as Beyonce, U2, Stevie Wonder and Garth Brooks, along with appearances by Denzel Washington and Martin Luther King III. "I am honored that I was invited to this historic event and look forward to participating in Sunday's festivities," Woods said. Our View:Woods rarely gets involved in political discussions and festivities. He was criticized in 1997 after his watershed victory at The Masters, when he turned down an invitation from former President Bill Clinton to travel to Shea Stadium in New York to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier. After Obama's landslide victory, Woods said on CNBC he had been hopeful that a black man would be elected president in his lifetime. |
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January 15, 2009 A few weeks before the Buick Invitational tees off every year at Torrey Pines Golf Course, the tournament holds a press conference with its defending champion. Tiger Woods, the four-time defending champion who is still recovering from knee surgery, was unavailable early Monday morning, so San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders was brought in to substitute for the world's No. 1-ranked player, according to the North County Times. "The only reason why I'm here is because Tiger called in sick," joked Sanders after being introduced in a downstairs ballroom at the Torrey Pines Hilton. Tom Wilson, the tournament director for the Buick Invitational, said Monday he' s not convinced that Woods has ruled out the Buick Invitational. "Most of the media has written him off (for the Buick Invitational), but it's all speculation," he said. "The only guy who really knows is Tiger." Woods won't be officially out of the Buick until January 30, the deadline for entering the February 5-8 tournament. Our View:Wilson has been trading e-mail barbs with Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, just as a friendly way of keeping the Buick Invitational in the conversation when Woods finally does make his decision. Steinberg's responses haven't given Wilson any insight on just when Woods will return. Steinberg told Wilson that it's just too early to tell. The Buick Invitational always attracts top-tier players, and this year is no exception. Padraig Harrington, the PGA Tour player of the year and two-time major winner, has committed to playing, as have fellow major champions Retief Goosen, Rich Beem and Angel Cabrera. Hometown boy and fan favorite Phil Mickelson will be here too. Despite the all-star cast, though, the Buick Invitational just won't be the same without Woods, a six-time winner of the event who essentially has become the face of the tournament. He has played the tournament the last nine years. |
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January 13, 2009 Tiger Woods is back on the course and playing, according to TigerWoods.com. The world's No. 1 player has begun practicing at Isleworth Country Club, his home course in Orlando, Florida. "As I had hoped," Woods wrote on his site this week, "After Jan. 1, I started hitting longer irons and my driver. I'm not swinging as hard as I can, but I'm working towards that goal." Our View:This development in Tiger's recovery does not, however, bring the golf world any closer to an ETA on his big comeback. While he is practicing with swing coach Hank Haney close at hand, he is being cautious in his decision to get back to competitive golf when he's fit enough."So far, my knee has held up well," he wrote on his site. "But I don't know when I'll be able to return to competition. I'd like to thank everyone for their support and concern, and I'm looking forward to rejoining the PGA TOUR when I think that I'm ready." |
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January 12, 2009 While he failed to show as he continues to rehab from injury, Tiger Woods was still rewarded by the folks at the Mercedes-Benz Championship this week, according to Nathan Easler of ESPN. According to Easler, Marc Turnesa, who came in last at the event, earned $54,000 from the Mercedes-Benz Championship, while Woods will cash $53,000 for his week's "work." According to PGA Tour regulations, any player who qualifies for an official money event without a cut or an alternate list but is unable to play because of injury will receive last-place, unofficial money. Our View:Easler goes on to point out the tournament sponsors granted Tiger earnings equal to the last-place finisher. To put this into perspective, consider the purse at this week's Sony Open: Last year a player would have needed to finish tied for 20th to earn $59,572. |
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January 8, 2009 Speculation on when Tiger Woods will return to competitive golf continues unabated as the PGA Tour season gets set to tee off, according to the Associated Press. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that assuming there is no swelling or other complications when he resumes a full practice routine, Woods likely will make his 2009 debut at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana, Ariz., during the last week in February. USA Today reported that Woods could begin in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational or at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. Our View:Woods, who has said he wants to play in the Masters in April, says he does not know when he will return. His wife is expecting their second child in February, so he won't return before then. Woods began taking full swings with short clubs in December. He hasn't played since last June, when he won the U.S. Open. He had reconstructive knee surgery on his left knee eight days later. At least one place thinks Woods will return in winning form. British-based William Hill already has installed him as the 9-to-4 favorite to win the Masters. |
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January 6, 2009 We have no idea when Tiger Woods is going to return to action, but the book isn't shy in giving him the lean as the favorite to win The Masters, according to the Associated Press. British-based William Hill already has installed him as the 9-to-4 favorite to win The Masters. The bookmaker lists Phil Mickelson at 10-to-1 winning the Masters, followed by Sergio Garcia at 12-to-1 and Padraig Harrington, going for his third straight major, at 14-to-1. Our View:One other betting option on Woods is how many majors he will win in 2009. William Hill offers 2-to-1 odds that Woods will win at least one major, 11-to-4 that he will win two majors, 14-to-1 that he will win three and 33-to-1 odds that he will win them all. In other words, the odds of Woods winning the Grand Slam are equivalent to Adam Scott winning The Masters. William Hill also has 11-to-10 odds that Woods will not win any major this year. All of this is predicated on him playing the Masters. |
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January 6, 2009 It is mere speculation, but it appears we may be able to estimate a date for return to the game of golf for Tiger Woods, according to Jason Sobel of ESPN. Sobel starts by assuming (a) there is an excellent chance Woods will not play 15 tourneys this season, (b) that Woods will continue, as he has for some time, to fit his PGA appearances to his own preferences and liking, (c) that Woods will not bow to pressure from commissioner Tim Finchem (openly pleading with the game's elite to add more starts to the schedule, and (d) Woods will be seeking additional time off for the arrival of his second child. With all of this in mind, it appears one of three consecutive tourneys, starting with the Buick Invitational followed by Pebble Beach and the Northern Trust seem to offer the best hope for the arrival of the best to ever hit the links. Our View:The Buick has become a question mark by dropping their endorsement deal with Tiger, making the Northern Trust a realistic possibility. It's a Riviera course he has destroyed before but he skipped this tourney with the flu last season, and Sobel suggests that we have yet to learn if that means it is off the plate or he was really sick. If not then, the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship could be start #1. Only time will tell. |
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January 4, 2009 No one in the Tiger Woods' camp is particularly happy about the dates of his charity event. The Chevron World Challenge ended four days before Christmas, and it followed tournaments in South Africa and Australia that kept away top-ranked players, according to the Associated Press. While it was an elite field, it featured only two of the top 10 in the world ranking. "The first week in December would be great," Woods said. "The date after the Skins Games would be the ideal date. We've still got to work things out, see what kind of TV contracts they have," Woods said. "We'll see what happens." Our View:That would make sense on the calendar - the Skins Game over Thanksgiving weekend, another California event, then head east to Florida for the Father-Son Challenge and the Merrill Lynch Shootout hosted by Greg Norman. For now, there appears to be too many moving parts. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem would only say he is looking into it. |
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Phil Mickelson |
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- Age: 39
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 200 lbs
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