Tiger on the prowl
WHO would have thought that after playing in just five events of the current PGA Tour season, Tiger Woods would become the hottest topic in golf? Or, for that matter, in all of sports? His recovery from his various surgeries was so dramatic that Woods is now one of the top favorites to win the Masters next month.
Woods has retaken the mantle as the most talked-about person in sports after his two recent outings on the PGA Tour, one of which had him locked in a mind-bending tie for second place at last week’s Valspar Championship, where he lost by just one stroke.
Two days ago, in the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods shot a 4-under-par 68 in another validation of his strong comeback. If he continues this kind of play, there’s a chance he will score his first win since the 2013 Bridgestone International.
In the second round Friday, Woods cooled down. He settled for an even par 72 in an up-and-down round where he shot two bogeys and two birdies that put him seven strokes behind co-leaders Henrik Stenson and Bryson DeChambeau.
Indeed, with his game turning around at extreme velocity, it will be interesting to watch the remaining two rounds at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, an event he has won eight times. Many believe it’s just a matter of time before he adds another one to his collection of 79 PGA Tour wins and 14 majors.
In most sports events, top rivals try to beat each other up and generally go for the kill whoever the opponent maybe. In the case of Woods, the game’s top players are actually rooting for him to play well, or to even win and beat them. That was what Paul Casey, winner of the Valspar Championship last week, said while waiting at the clubhouse after taking the lead. He doesn’t mind losing, so long as it’s Tiger who wins.
Not really surprising because Woods has done more for golf than any of the game’s current stars combined. Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Hideki Matsuyama, all in their 20s, want a resurgent and brilliant Woods. The man moves the needle. He draws people to the courses, puts golf in the center of the conversation, makes sponsors and backers open their wallets, and drives TV ratings up.
Filipinos also get a piece of the action because the PGA Tour in the United States is shown “live” in the Philippines regularly on Cignal TV’s Hyper Channel (261 on HD, 91 on the regular channel).
But the downside is that, to watch it “live” or at the