In the end Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, and Kevin Sutherland went to a playoff and Vijay won.

I found it rather ironic that Sergio found a way to make a clutch putt (a bomb on the first playoff hole it what looked like a win) only to have Vijay make one and then win on the next hole.

Sergio looks like Phil Michaelson did a few years back.  Where he always seemed to be hanging around but never won as many as he should have.  I wouldn’t be suprised to see the Spainard break out and win a bunch here soon.

• Tiger Woods has won the last three times an event was played at Doral Resort and Spa (Doral-Ryder Open, 2005-06; World Golf Championship event, 2007).

• He has won the last three WGC-CA Championships (known as American Express Championship before 2007) and six overall, tied for his most wins at any event.

• He has won the last six WGC stroke-play events (3 NEC/Bridgestone, 3 American Express/CA Championships).

• He has won 15 of 26 WGC events he has entered (there have been 27), totaling close to $20 million in earnings. Only one other player has more than one win at these events.

• He has won five straight PGA Tour events, the fifth-longest streak in PGA Tour history (he has two of the other four longest streaks as well).

• He has won the last seven tournaments he has entered worldwide, including all four in 2008.

• He has 64 career PGA Tour wins, tying him with Ben Hogan for 3rd all-time.

 

He is currenly one shot off the lead heading into the weekend, want to bet against him?

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were back in action today for the first time since the US Open at the AT&T National. Tiger missed The Buick to spend time with his new daughter Sam Alexis while Phil was still nursing the sore wrist that has been causing him trouble since he injured in practicing for the US Open.

Today the rust showed. Tiger shot a 73 and Mickelson a 74. At least Lefty was relatively steady. He has 15 pars to go with two bogies and a double. Tiger on the other hand had a roller coster round: 4 birdies, 7 pars, and 7 bogies. They will both need to shake the rust off and get back into form if they expect to compete at Congressional CC outside the nation’s capital. In his defense, Tiger is coming off the birth of his first child as well as being involved in hosting duties for the new tournament. He might be a tad distracted; yes, even Tiger gets distracted. It remains to be seen if Phil’s wrist is going to keep him from competing.

Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh as well as Joe Oglivy, Stuart Appleby, and K.J. Choi are tied for the lead at four under. I don’t see Furyk and Singh coming back to the pack a great deal so I would guess Tiger will need to shoot a low round to get back in it.

Equally remarkable is that the player who was clutch with everything on the line was Zach Johnson. Who? Yes, you would have to be a pretty avid follower of the game to know much about Zach Johnson prior to Sunday. The thirty-one year old Iowan has only one previous tour win to his credit, the 2004 Bell South, and was playing in only his third Masters.

But when everything was on the line, he stepped up and played great golf. It all seemed to pick up when he chipped in from off the green on the par five eighth, but he really earned his win on the back nine. He birdied three out of four between 13 and 16 with beautiful approach shots and clutch putts and built himself a three shot lead. After a nervous bogey on 17, he steadied himself and executed a perfect chip shot for a tap in par. With Tiger unable to take advantage, and Justin Rose imploding with a double on 17, the two shot lead was enough for the victory.

After a week of miserable conditions and struggling golfers it was good to see someone play like they wanted to win rather than just survive. After a brutal third round in which the average score was over 77, Tiger Woods found himself in the final pairing and only one shot behind Australian Stuart Appleby. Pretty remarkable given that he had yet to break par.

But despite better weather and more accessible pins, it didn’t seem to be in the cards for some of the usual suspects Sunday morning. Reigning champion Phil Mickelson started the day with a triple bogey that ended his chances. Justin Rose managed a double on the first and another on the third but was still a factor until the penultimate hole. Jim Furyk opened with a bogey and never threatened.

Fifty-four hole leader Appleby promptly gave up his lead when he carded a double. Johnson and Woods both bogeyed the first hole. Thanks to the struggles of his playing partner, however, Tiger ended up tied for the lead and a birdie on the next hole gave him the lead outright. Sunday suddenly had the feeling of another Tiger win where the competition simply fades under the pressure while Woods finds a way to win.

It was not to be a typical day, however, as a variety players charged to the lead. The young South African Rory Sabbatini supercharged his already solid round with an amazing eagle putt on the eighth hole. But he gave a stroke back on the very next hole and he never quite got the magic back with two more bogeys on the back nine. A birdie on the final hole led to a tie for second with Woods and his fellow South African Retief Goosen.

Goosen had one of the more remarkable stories of the week. At the end of the second round Goosen was lucky to make the cut; doing so on the number. Saturday morning found the two-time US Open winner in dead last place, but he shot the only round under par on Saturday and ended the day in 8th place despite a bogey on the final hole. He continued his strong play on Sunday, shooting a 32 on the front nine. It seemed like the stoic Goosen had everything in control and would win another major on icy fast greens. But Goosen played the next nine holes one over and joined the group in second place.

The question on everyone’s mind as the afternoon progressed was whether Tiger had enough left to make a charge. Not surprisingly the answer was yes. The surprise was that it wasn’t enough.

After a wild tee shot on 11 Tiger had to bend a club around a tree just to have chance at saving par. And save it he did. After a clutch putt on the par three 12, Tiger seemed to have righted the ship. Just in time for a par five reachable in two.

Tiger being Tiger he provided some drama. His approach shot landed on the back of the green left of the hole and seemed to balance there for a second or two. As Tiger yelled “bite, bite” the ball finally began to roll down the bank toward the cup coming to rest inches away. He made the short putt for eagle and was suddenly only two shots behind. With the par five 15 and the par three 16 ahead, Tiger seemed to be poised for another remarkable win.

But Zach Johnson, one of the many Rider Cup rookies who got to know Tiger close up, apparently didn’t get the script for the Tiger comeback win. After playing the par five 15 safe but this time managing only a par, Johnson earned his victory with a couple of clutch shots. He knocked his tee shot to within twelve feet on 16 and drained the putt. After the hiccup on 17, he found the fairway on 18. A bit of luck kept his approach shot out of the bunker and Johnson executed a perfect chip shot to within inches for a tap in par. Tiger couldn’t find a birdie on the final five holes and Johnson had his second victory and his first Major.

It doesn’t matter that Johnson’s one over 289 tied for the highest final score in Masters’ history, when it mattered he played the best golf. He out-dueled Tiger Woods and won the famed green jacket. Six years ago Johnson was just a spectator at Augusta watching Tiger complete the Tiger Slam. Just four years ago he was playing on the Nationwide Tour.

It really is an amazing story. Johnson wasn’t even the best player on his high school golf team. He dreamed of playing golf for the University of Iowa where so many of his family members had attended, but he only received a scholarship offer from Drake University. But like so many young golfers he dreamed of one day winning the Masters and he never gave up.

On Easter Sunday his victory was a nice reminder that sometimes dreams do come true.

Seriously, did any one doubt the outcome when Tiger was chasing down a bunch of no-names on the back nine? (Talented no-names for sure, but still Buckle and Quinney?) Charles Howell hung in there, but when Tiger knocked his approach on 17 to within 2 1/2 feet and made birdie, everyone knew it was a done deal. Not even coming a little short on 18 could add much drama to the ending.

I hope Vijay, Lefty, and the others crank it up a notch and give Tiger a challenge. If not it will just be Tiger versus the record books. Anyone care to bet against Tiger?

So when He shot a 64 on Friday to take the lead, the feeling was “here we go again.” After all Tiger had already won at Firestone four times – including last year. Surely, he would cruise to yet another victory. But Saturday and Sunday were anything but a stroll in the park for the world’s best golfer.

The bizarre finish to his round on Friday, where he hit his a ball over the club house and into the hospitality area, seemed to be an omen. On Saturday he carded four bogeys in a row for the first time since his rookie season. For a moment it looked like Davis Love might just seize the tourney and run away with things.

With the tournament in the balance Tiger responded. Almost any other player, having experienced what Tiger had experienced over the course of the last few months, would have admitted that he just didn’t have it. That’s golf, right? You can’t win everything.

Unless you are Tiger Woods. When asked if he saw his problems on Saturday as a challenge, Tiger responded:

Yeah, my body took me out of the tournament and my mind will bring me back in it.

It might be a cliche at this point, but it is nevertheless true: Tiger is simply mentally tougher than other golfer on the planet. Yes, when he is on his physical skills are unmatched. He has unrivaled skill and imagination. But this weekend those skills weren’t always there when he needed them. He was struggling with his swing the whole time. You could see him practicing after every shot and on the tee. He was grinding it out; forcing himself to stay in the hunt.

Saturday it was two gorgeous chip-ins to finish one back. Sunday he drained two lengthy putts to grab the lead and he had another tremendous save out of the deep rough behind the 18th that kept him in the playoff on the first extra hole. And of course, when he finally had a chance to put it away with an eight feet birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole, he sank the putt.

Can Tiger win ugly? You bet. That is what distances him from his competitors: he can beat them even when he isn’t playing his best golf.

Davis Love should be haunted by what might have been. He was given a chance few are given: to take advantage of a series of mistakes by Tiger Woods. The tournament was there for the taking. But he couldn’t get a handle on the tricky greens; couldn’t dial in and make the shots and putts to seize the moment.

I thought maybe Jim Furyk might rise up and challenge Tiger like he did at Firestone a few years ago. He went out in 32 – after starting his round with three straight birdies – but two bogeys on the back nine proved too much. Furyk, like so many, was unable to overcome Firestone’s tricky greens under the pressure of Sunday afternoon with Tiger in the lead.

Give him credit, Stewart Cink refused to go away. He battled back and forced Tiger into a playoff with two clutch birdies on 16 and 17. But he too couldn’t make a clutch putt with everything on the line. Tiger was clearly struggling just to make pars. Cink needed just one big putt to go in and he would have beaten the best in the world. This might seem like a moral victory but ask Chris DiMarco what moral victories feel like.

Tiger Woods has once again seized control of the game of golf and doesn’t appear willing to let go. If the other golfers plan on winning tournaments they better learn to beat Tiger when he struggles, because – as we have seen – he is nearly impossible to beat when he is on his “A” game.

He continues his hunt for the record books: Jack’s 18 major wins and Sam Snead’s 82 career victories. Tiger has 12 and 52 respectively. Not bad for a ten year career!

BTW, Tiger might want to spend more time in Ohio. He has now won five times and Firestone – more than any other course. When you add in his three wins at the Memorial that makes eight wins in Ohio. That is a nice career in itself.

Tiger now heads to Ireland to practice with his Ryder Cup teammates before heading to Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship looking for win number five in a row.

After three rounds Tiger was tied for the lead with Luke Donald at fourteen under par. Heading into the final round the questions was: could Tiger lose? Obviously you don’t get rich betting against Woods. Tiger has never lost a major when he held or shared the lead after 54 holes. Tiger was coming into the PGA on a hot streak after a remarkable display of skill and determination at the British Open and a repeat of that showing at the Buick Open. Was there really any doubt who would win?

Despite the strong argument for yet another Tiger win, there was some hope that things might turn out differently. First of all, this was not your typical imposing major course. The No. 3 course at Medinah Country Club wasn’t a push over exactly, it played fairly and had its share of challenges, but neither was it a grueling US Open test of will. Players could and did go low. Traditionally, Tiger likes to win at courses that demand mental and physical toughness; two categories in which he excels.

Also contributing to the feeling that Tiger’s win streak might finally come to an end was the quality of players within reach. Luke Donald, one of the better young players in the game and as a Northwestern graduate with a home in the area he had a strong fan base at the course outside Chicago. Mike Weir, a former Masters winner and beautiful ball striker, was within two shots. Mike Oglivy, reigning US Open Champion, was three shots back. Shaun Michael, 2003 PGA Champion, was four shots back as was Sergio Garcia who challenged Tiger Woods on this very course at the 1999 PGA. Surely one of these talented players would shoot a low round and Tiger’s major win streak would end.

Yeah, right. Instead Tiger continued his methodical and disciplined play shooting 68 for a five-stroke victory. Let’s count the casualties. Luke Donald joins a growing list of Tiger’s major playing partners who struggle. Of his twelve major wins only Chris DiMarco (2005 Masters) and Bob May (2000 PGA) have scored better than Tiger in the final round. On Sunday Donald never made a birdie on his way to a 74. Things just never went his way. He had a number of lip outs and always seemed to be giving Tiger a read on crucial putts rather than knocking it close and putting pressure on Woods.

Mike Weir looked to have a solid round going – he was within one shot of Tiger at the fifth hole – until troubles on the back nine ended his chances. Three under after ten holes, Weir had three bogeys and a double on the last eight to finish with a 73. After an opening hole birdie Geoff Ogilvy had a bogey and two doubles on the front to disappear. He limped home with a 74. Sergio Garcia handled the pressure of a major much better than he did at the British Open, but bogeys at 7 and 8 derailed his chances even though he eagled the par five 17th for a final round 70. Good but not good enough.

Everyone had hope for a little drama and so searched for a rivalry. Phil Mickelson had been crowned the official rival after winning the Masters and after two rounds as Tiger’s playing partner there was still hope. But Lefty bogied the final hole on Saturday and the first hole on Sunday and fell out of contention. He struggled to a 74 and a tie for sixteenth. Chris DiMarco can usually be counted on to give Tiger a run for his money, but not this week. With three rounds in the seventies he never really made a charge and finished in a tie for twelfth.

No, Tiger never really felt any pressure and so was able to just play his game. With a hot putter he eschewed risk and just aimed for the middle of the green. If the long putts went in, great, if not, then he had a tap in par. It all went exactly as planned – with the exception of his lone bogey on 17 – he began the day with a 10-foot birdie and ended it with a tap in par. Along the way he drained two 40-foot birdie putts; had a couple of gorgeous saves out of the sand and deep rough; and basically put it on cruise control on the back nine. When you lead the field in greens in regulation and have a hot putter things are bound to turn out well.

The only excitement left was the race for second place. 2003 PGA Champ Shaun Michael wrapped that up, despite a bogey on the final hole, with a solid 69. Adam Scott jumped into a third place tie with Luke Donald with a 67. Scott could have had second to himself but bogied 16 and 18. Clearly a low round was out there but no one close to Tiger was able to find it.

It is interesting to think how fast things have changed over the course of this major golf season. After his win at the Masters Phil Mickelson looked liked the clear rival to Tiger everyone was looking for. He had won consecutive majors, two out of the last three Masters, and a third of the last nine majors. When Tiger missed the cut at the US Open at Winged Foot, Mickelson seemed poised to stake his claim for dominance.

Instead, he staged one of the most unforgettable collapses in golf history. Ogilvy claimed the US Open and Mickelson’s psyche was left in tatters. Since then Tiger was won all three tournaments he has entered including two majors. He has collected wins 49, 50, and 51 and now has more major wins than anyone except Jack Nicklaus. He has won two majors in a year for two years in a row and seems more dominant than ever.

The problem with this dominance is that it seems like a story we have seen before. Yes, golf purists and die-hard fans love watching Tiger dominate. Yes, there is something cool about watching arguably the greatest golfer to play the game. But I think deep down we enjoy it more when he is challenged. We want to see the best players in the game rise to the challenge and give Tiger a run for his money. Just like the in the Super Bowl, we don’t want blowout wins in the majors but down to the wire finishes.

In the ten years Tiger has been playing as a pro we have seen players rise up and challenge him. Ernie Els, the hot young golfer on the world stage until Tiger stole the spotlight, seemed ready to provide some competition but, despite two major victories, always seems to play the runner-up role. Vijay Singh had a fantastic year in 2004 and even took Tiger’s #1 world ranking from him at one point. But Singh, who is in his forties, has missed the cut at the last two majors. More recently Phil Mickelson seemed poised to challenge Tiger, but has fallen back again – at least temporarily. He remains a fan favorite, but can’t seem to find the consistency he needs to challenge Woods.

Young guns like Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Sergio Garcia, and Luke Donald seem to have the game to be the next Tiger Woods, but so far the glare of the spotlight has been too hot. They may fight their way into contention but always fade when a major is on the line.

So things remain as they were. There is Tiger and then there is everybody else. Everybody else: back to the drawing board. And those of us bored with Tiger’s dominance; at least we have the consolation of knowing we are watching history in the making.

More later.

All is right with the golfing world this morning. It is once again spinning on its proper axis. With another impressive win at the British Open on Sunday, Tiger Woods is Tiger again: dominating the field and chasing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins.

Well, in case there remained any doubt, Tiger was up to his old tricks this week at the Buick. He has always played well at the Buick but he doesn’t normally enjoy winning shootouts. His style is more suited to winning in tough conditions; using his concentration and will power to succeed when others fail. But at the Buick Tiger proved once again that he is the best in the game. Having to go low everyday, he managed the ultimate consistency: four rounds of 66. He is now 21-0 when leading by two shots or more after 54 holes.

The only person to challenge Tiger was Jim Furyk. Furyk shot a 64 and was tied with Woods after Tiger’s lone bogey on 12. But Tiger had scoring chances coming in and he took advantage with birdies at 13, 15, and 18 to secure his three point win. Vijay Singh, who has won the Buick three times and was going for his third win in a row, managed only a pedestrian 70. Mike Weir played worse and shot one over. Nobody else really threatened Tiger.

The win is typical Tiger, but the record is the impressive thing. He is the youngest player to reach fifty wins and is seventh on the all time win list behind only Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, and Billy Casper. That is some list. But what really stands out to me is his winning percentage. This year he has four wins in eleven tournaments equaling a winning percentage of 36%! That is amazing for professional golf. But his career average is 25%. He has played in 196 events and won 50. Wow. Talk about dominance. To add to the luster he has placed in the top ten 128 times or 65% of the time. To put that in perspective, Phil Mickelson has played in roughly 338 events and won 29; placing in the top ten 123 times.

I am not sure there is a more dominate player in sports right now than Tiger Woods. One has to wonder just how far he can go. If he stays healthy, there isn’t a record out there he can’t break. And that is Tiger’s mission. To turn the greatest player in the history of the game from a conversation to a statement.

Should be pretty interesting.  Right now Vaughn Taylor is leading by a stroke over Mike Weir and Bret Quigley and by two strokes over Tiger Woods.  Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh are three back.

Nice mix of young upstarts and big names.  Everyone knows they will have to make birdies to win this one.  Hard to bet against the big guns, however, as Tiger, Vijay, and Jim Furyk always play well here and Tiger and Vijay are multiple winners on this course.  I know I will be watching on Sunday.