HUGGAN’S ALLEY: JOHN HUGGAN
He was really something wasn’t he? Along with just about every other living, breathing punter on the planet, your humble correspondent was entranced by the sight of the greatest golfer we have yet seen performing close to the top of his peerless game during the recent Presidents Cup matches. The combination of Tiger Woods and the composite course at Royal Melbourne was intoxicating. “Best-ever meets the best we’ve got,” you might say.
There was just one caveat clinging to that enjoyment. It was difficult not to feel a little disappointed as Woods and the other 23-players on show in the biennial contest between the United States and the International squad launched a succession of short irons into almost every one of those wonderfully contoured greens. Yes, Alister MacKenzie’s masterpiece stood up to the challenge well enough. But there was a definite sense of “what could have been” as yet another long iron or hybrid was struck off just about every tee, followed by yet another wedge or 9-iron.
In concert with my fellow Golf Australia columnist, Mike Clayton, the calculation was estimated, if that is not too oxymoronic. Recreating the same conditions and club selections envisioned by MacKenzie back in the 1920s would mean stretching Royal Melbourne to something over 9,000-yards, which is a depressing thought. And one that bequeaths no credit to the R&A and the United States Golf Association – the transatlantic blue-blazered buffoons whose inattention led us blindly into the largely onedimensional world the pros now play in. Anyway, Woods went a long way towards making up for all that nonsense. The subtlety of his shot-making was sublime, the soundness of the strategic nous a masterclass in how to cope with the almost endless nuances of the course. His approach play in particular sticks in the memory. No matter how difficult the pin position, the 15-time major champion displayed an acute adeptness. Time after time he produced the perfect ball-flight and trajectory for the occasion.
It was a reminder – if any is needed – of the heights Woods reached before scandal, infidelity and physical issues took their toll on his greatness. This was the 40-plus Tiger almost at the zenith of his previous powers. Little wonder then that he triumphantly emerged from the four days of competition armed with the only unbeaten record on either side. Ah, but there is a but coming. Back in the day, as the 20th century eased into the 21st, there was another Tiger. Off the course, the then-dominant World No.1 was a stoic and secretive soul, which is being kind. Alternative adjectives might include “terse,” “brusque” and, when he grew tired of those two, “downright rude.” This was a man who didn’t have to care what anyone else thought about his behaviour. And, by jove, he lived down to that thoughtless nadir, at least in his dealings with a media he kept at many arms-lengths. The master of the non-answer answer, Tiger gave nothing away.
Sadly, as the level of his play edges closer to what once was, the dark side of Woods’ character seems to be returning at an equal pace. Yes, he indulges his playing-partners with snippets of his life away from the links. Yes, he seems happy to reveal at least some of his technical thoughts. And yes, he seems more at ease with his fellow competitors. The obviously genuine desire of his young compatriots to play for him – their captain and the man they grew up idolising – in Melbourne was a delight.
Still, amidst all of the above, what is surely the real Tiger is re-emerging. His press conferences at Royal Melbourne were marked by the sort of baleful, unblinking stares and bluntly abrupt responses that were commonplace two decades earlier. His reluctance to reveal anything other than the bare minimum was back.
So was his brusque behaviour towards opponents. Which, again, is nothing new. Going into the matches, Tony Finau spoke of how
Tiger had all-but ignored him from 1st tee to 18th green during the final round of this year’s Masters. And we saw more of that in Woods’ singles match with Abraham Ancer. All of which is excusable in the heat of battle. But for Woods to say in the wake of his 3 & 2 victory over the Mexican, “Abe wanted it, he got it,” displayed an unnecessary crassness that should long ago have been banished from a 43-year old man’s character. All the respectful Ancer, who idolised Woods growing up, had said was that he would like to play Tiger Woods. I mean, who wouldn’t? It has ever been thus. For all his undoubted genius, there is a nagging regret that Tiger, as he might say himself, “is what he is.”