Tiger embraces redemptive journey on way to Augusta
Tiger Woods will travel to Augusta, Ga., shortly as a bit of an accidental tourist.
He knows his way around but needs a refresher trip, something more substantial than an Uber ride. He needs to get a feel again for Augusta National’s bent grass. The different spins. The bunkers. Whether the sand is heavy or thick.
“I have to see if my book is any good,” Woods said late Sunday afternoon after finishing 10under at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a number that tied him for fifth place behind winner Rory McIlroy.
It is a number that dangles great promise for things to come at the Masters. It has always been one of golf’s most cherished grounds, a place where legacies are defined, including Tiger’s.
He has won in Augusta four times but not since 2005. Things have been a bit bumpy for a while, as you know. Physical problems, back problems, numerous surgeries, plus that stuff ringing in his head have all been contributing factors. Tiger hasn’t won a tournament since 2013. It’s all getting better now, evidenced by back-to-back competitive performances at the Valspar Championship and this week in our annual homage to one of the greats of the game, the late Arnold Palmer.
Arnie and Tiger are much alike, mostly for the competitive vibe and the singular name identification. Tiger, as we all know, moves the needle unlike anyone else, including McIlroy. You could have picked any of the 18 holes to feel Tiger’s juice in the gallery. As Tiger walked the Bay Hill course following his tee shot on No. 10, a fan screamed: “Thank you for making Sundays great again, Tiger!” A number of other fans clapped in agreement while a handful of little ones sprawled on the grass simply greeted him with cheers of “Tiger!”
He gets that a lot, and understandably so. A win at the Masters, which begins April 5, would simply send his resumé spiralling into uber-legendary status. And here’s the thing: He has a chance. A very good one. He will take security blankets from Tampa and Orlando with him to Augusta. Emotional ones to give him comfort. And that little book of his that needs updating. No worries. He has plenty of time.
“If I can play with no pain and I feel I can make golf swings, I’ll figure it out,” Tiger said. “I’m starting to piece it together tournament by tournament, and each tournament has gotten a little crisper and a little better.”
Like anyone who aspires for greatness, Tiger will not mess around with any shortcuts. He will travel to Augusta before the tournament, pen and paper and computer and any other gadget necessary on hand. “I need to take a look at it,” Tiger said. “I haven’t putted on bent grass in two years. So this is going to be new to me — playing on rye like that over-seeded rye, different spins that we’re going to encounter there ... what wedge system I want to use ... I have to do a little bit of work.”
Augusta beckons a former champion.