Our ‘original’ Tiger on the hunt for ‘other’ Tiger in New Jersey
TIGER Woods will be at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey from September 28 for the Presidents Cup as a non-playing assistant to US captain Steve Stricker, who also doesn’t play because that’s just how it works in the Cup.
But, providing his visa comes through in time, another Tiger – actually, the “original Tiger” – will also be at the biennial match between the US and the International Team.
Original Tiger? Well, this just happens to be Nick Price’s long-time caddie Tiger Lekhulene , who Price has invited to New Jersey to be an assistant to Louis Oosthuizen’s bagman, Greg Hearmon, who will captain the International Team’s caddies.
Tiger - that’s our Tiger, not America’s - caddies at Randpark in Johannesburg but had to fly down to Cape Town yesterday to apply for a visa because the US visa application centre in Johannesburg was fully booked.
So hopefully, with the Cup just two weeks away, his visa will come through in time.
But still, why the “original Tiger”? Well, in 1998 a 22-yearold Tiger Woods came to Africa and one of the first things he wanted to do was to meet the real Tiger. It was Price who helped convince Woods that he needed to experience the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Then, ever the gracious host, Price went on to beat Woods in a thrilling sudden-death play-off for his third and final victory in “Africa’s Major”. But Woods had also heard from Price about the real, “original Tiger”.
Price had even asked him to sign a cap for this “original Tiger”, which he did. But Woods had yet to meet the man. Then he stepped into the locker room at Gary Player Country Club and bumped into a fellow wearing the cap he had signed.
“Tiger,” Woods said. “I’m Tiger.” “Pleased to meet you, Tiger Woods,” Lekhulene replied with a huge smile, “but you do know I’m the original Tiger!”
Our Tiger started working as a caddie at Randpark way back in 1970 at just 11 years old and hooked up with Price for the first time in 1977 when the SA-born Zimbabwean was still an amateur and used to practise at the course with compatriot Mark McNulty.
Price, the former world No1, three-time Major winner and now 60 years old, plays little golf these days but when in South Africa he still has the wiry, 58-year-old Lekhulene on the bag as the pair have become like brothers.
“We’ve won over 15 tournaments together,” says our Tiger. “And what fun we’ve had. We laugh a lot on the golf course and my job, besides helping with club selection, wind direction and the like, was often to keep him calm, although Nick always had a fantastic attitude and I’ve never seen him throw a club,” adds Lekhulene, who has also looped for, among others, David Feherty, Simon Hobday, Des Terblanche, Ian Palmer, Sally Little and McNulty, whose bag he carried when “Supermac” won this year’s SA Senior Open.
Lekhulene lists Price’s 1998 “Million Dollar” win at Sun City as a highlight of their time together.
That year Price and Woods both totalled 15-under-par 273, Tiger making dramatic birdies at the last two holes of regulation play (knocking in a 15-footer at the 17th hole and chipping in at 18 from about 20 feet) to take play into extra time amid thunderous applause from the massive gallery.
With tension mounting all the time, the pair halved the first four holes of sudden-death (16, 17 and 18, then back to 16) before the “original Tiger” handed Price his putter at 17, and watched in wonder as his man dropped a Million Dollar putt from 10 feet to win.
Lekhulene, incidentally, has three soccer-mad sons and the youngest of these, 16-year-old Tiisetso, has just completed a successful trial with the Orlando Pirates Under-17 squad.
And Tiger is an institution at Randpark, which was why Francois Swart, the club’s general manager, was happy to fly him down to Cape Town for the visa application.
“We’re very proud of his achievements. He really is a Tiger of note. Hopefully now he can be an inspiration for the Internationals in New Jersey.”