The weekend saw command performances -- and some tough shots in the clutch -- by some of the best closers in sports.
Jun. 10, 2009
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What are our writers thinking about after the Memorial Tournament? Another virtuoso performance by Tiger Woods, of course. That, and more, from Muirfield Village.
UPDATE: Thanks to an enterprising fan, here's a sneak peek at Tiger during his practice round at Bethpage Black on Monday.
CLOSING TIME: Sunday was a day for closers. Roger Federer. Kobe Bryant. Tiger Woods. Guys who know how to get it done when they can see the finish line. All three were like sharks in the water, able to smell the blood.
One game -- and certainly by one set -- into R-Fed's French Open final, you could sense that nothing was going to get in his way of completing the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros. And though Kobe Bryant didn't play his best game Sunday night, he made clutch shots and key passes on his way to 29 points and eight assists to give the Lakers a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Magic in the NBA Finals.
In between them was Woods, capturing a fourth Memorial title and second of the season for career win No. 67. Whether it was chipping in to win the Memorial Skins Game early in the week, chipping in for eagle on No. 11 on Sunday, or stuffing his approach shot on the 18th to set up a second birdie over his last three holes, Woods delivered in the clutch.
It was just another case of Tiger being Tiger. It was the 20th time Woods has come from behind on Sunday to win, this time erasing a four-shot deficit by doing exactly what he talked about needing to do -- getting off to a fast start by making four birdies in his first seven holes. That's what a closer does and that's exactly what Tiger is. -- Brian Wacker
NO. 15 SOON?: Jack Nicklaus said what everyone undoubtedly was thinking when he told the thousands who hung around for the trophy presentation at Muirfield Village on a brilliant Sunday afternoon that "I suspect No. 15 will come for Tiger Woods in about two weeks."
Woods had just won Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament for the fourth time in an extremely impressive manner -- making birdie on the last two holes and hitting all 14 fairways in the final round.
"This is how you have to hit it in order to win U.S. Opens," Woods said in an understatement as he thought ahead to his major test of a title defense at Bethpage Black.
A win at the place where Woods picked up his 2002 U.S. Open title would bring him within three of tying Nicklaus' record of 18 major wins in what now seems to be a foregone conclusion even for the Golden Bear himself. What make it so special, though, is that Nicklaus is around to see Woods' lifelong dream realized and put his performance in perspective for us. We as golf fans are very lucky to have the two greatest players in the game in our lives right now. -- Helen Ross
FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: This is where Tiger Woods has ranked on the PGA TOUR in driving accuracy for the last eight years -- 145th in 2001; 107th in 2002; 142nd in 2003; 182nd in 2004; 191st in 2005; 139th in 2006; 152nd in 2007 and 169th in his abbreviated 2008 season.
This is where Tiger Woods ranked in driving accuracy last week at the Memorial Tournament -- second, just behind Jim Furyk. And on Sunday, nobody was better than Tiger's 14-for-14 performance in fairways hit en route to his 67th career TOUR win.
It's scary to think what an accurate Tiger off the tee might be capable of achieving. Obviously, his waywardness hasn't made a negative impact on his career, since he consistently ranks at or near the top in greens in regulations. But if he starts hitting fairways on a regular basis?
Jack Nicklaus said he didn't reach his prime until about the age that Tiger is now (33). If Tiger maintains his accuracy, maybe his best is yet to come. -- Mike McAllister
MORE TIGER-FURYK SHOOTOUTS?: For a guy that nailed 90 percent of his fairways to lead the field at the Memorial, Jim Furyk shook his head when he recalled missing the fairway on the 412-yard par-4 ninth hole in the final round.
Furyk, who finished one shot behind Tiger Woods, pushed his tee shot right and had to chop back into the fairway. It was the only fairway he missed all day. The resulting bogey was the final one he'd make of the week: the veteran fired off a back-nine 33 to finish alone in second.
The finish, while satisfying, is simply the latest piece of evidence to suggest that Furyk is back to his 2006 form, when he was second in the Official World Golf Ranking. Since missing the cut at the Verizon Heritage in April, he's improved every week, and his streak of 10 consecutive sub-par rounds has led to three top-10 finishes in as many tournaments. -- Ryan Smithson
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| Stock up |
Jim Furyk: Like we noted in the Foursome, he has to feel good about his performance on the difficult back nine. His grind-it-out style at a tough Muirfield Village is the kind of performance that has defined his career. His 14th win is inevitible.
FedExCup rank: 13 (30 last week) |
Jerry Kelly: His Sunday 67 was the definition of a back-door top-15 finish, but it was also one of the few bogey-free rounds of the day and will give Kelly some good rhythm going into Hartford in a couple of weeks, where he'll be given an honorary doctorate from his alma mater.
FedExCup rank: 29 (28 last week) |
Nick Watney: Two bogeys kept his Sunday score from being really good, but a 68 still moved him up 27 spots on the leaderboard and into the top 15. Watney's been sort of lingering since a tie for fourth at Bay Hill, but don't be surprised to see him in the mix at the U.S. Open.
FedExCup rank: 8 (7 last week) |
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| Stock down |
Geoff Ogilvy: It's hard to get on a guy who shot 63 in the third round, but this week was a microcosm of Ogilvy's wildly inconsistent season. He has two wins, but Sunday he had two bogeys and a quad over his last five holes. Once again, Ogilvy teased us.
FedExCup rank: 2 (3 last week) |
Davis Love III: A 20-time winner on TOUR, Love has certainly come through with some big performances in his career, but Sunday wasn't one of them when he finished bogey-triple bogey. Credit him for getting to 10 under and a share of the lead at one point, but that was a tough finish.
FedExCup rank: 32 (36 last week) |
Matt Bettencourt: There will be more opportunities for the 34-year-old rookie, who didn't even play golf in college, but he had about as much chance as Robin Soderling did against Roger Federer. Bettencourt missed more fairways and greens Sunday than he had in any other round last week and shot 75.
FedExCup rank: 126 (163 last week) |
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| A Quick 18 |
| Front Nine | Back Nine |
| To further the point made in The Foursome about how good of a closer Tiger Woods is, at 5:12 p.m. Sunday, four players were tied for the lead at 10 under. Less than an hour later Davis Love III, Jonathan Byrd and Jim Furyk had all faded from Woods' shadow. Three other guys had their shot, and they all missed. | INJURY UPDATES: Sean O'Hair was forced to WD last week because of a forearm injury, but by the sound of it, it was more of a precautionary move more than anything else. Also, Chad Campbell's injury from two weeks ago turned out to be just a strained calf. |
| Two things about Tiger as he finished second in fairways hit and tied for third in greens in regulation last week: He added loft to the driver -- something he'd been experimenting with for weeks -- and he choked down on a lot on tee shots. The result was the kind of accuracy he had at the '06 British Open. | We cannot get enough of Jack Nicklaus. Whether it's hosting the Memorial Tournament and its Skins Game, his Planet Jack show on GOLF CHANNEL, or his analysis in the booth for CBS, or in the press room interviews, 18 majors is equal parts entertaining and informative. |
| When Woods hit all 14 fairways Sunday, it was the first time he had done so since the second round of the 2003 Arnold Palmer Invitational. For the week, he was 49 of 56 (87.5 percent) in fairways hit, which equals the best mark of his career as a professional. | Say a prayer for Cindi Hilfman. She's Rocco Mediate's best friend and the physical therapist that helped make his back upright two years ago. She's also battling congenital kidney disease and needs a new kidney. She told ESPN's Rick Reilly that if she could get a new one within six months, it would be "wonderful." |
| Interesting stat of the week: Prior to the final round at the Memorial, Tiger Woods had played the 16th, 17th and 18th holes of all his stroke-play events this year in a combined 7 over -- and that includes playing TPC Sawgrass' stretch in 5 under. Of course, when it mattered most, he birdied Nos. 17 and 18 on Sunday.
| Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 hits stores today and from the trailers, it looks pretty darn cool. You can re-live and play 17 Tiger moments, including the winning putt at Bay Hill from last year. Complete those challenges and you play Tiger in an 18-hole U.S. Open playoff. Also, there's a viral video campaign in which you could win $50,000. Click here for details.
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| As also noted in The Foursome, Woods has come from behind in the final round to win 20 times in his career. The largest of those is 5 strokes -- this year at Bay Hill and in 2000 at Pebble Beach. Three times he's come from 4 back -- this week; in 1997 at the Mercedes-Benz Championship; and in 1996 in Las Vegas, his first win. | According to a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the U.S. Open will return to Oakmont in 2016. The last time it was held there, in 2007, Angel Cabrera won. Not sure about his chances next time around -- he'll be 46 years old. Expect an official announcement at this year's U.S. Open. |
| Because Woods was able to come from behind and win on Sunday, the Memorial Tournament avoided a playoff for a 17th straight year. That's the longest stretch of any event on TOUR. The last playoff there was in 1992 when David Edwards beat Rick Fehr. | Speaking of tournament sites, it became official last week that Monterey Peninsula Country Club will return to the rotation for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am beginning next year when it replaces Poppy Hills. It was last in the rota in 1977 and will be a welcome sight for a lot of players.
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| How will Tiger Woods spend this week after silencing any critics and shuttering any lingering doubt? By preparing for the U.S. Open with a visit to Bethpage Black on Monday. He'll also likely attend the Lakers-Magic game(s) Tuesday and/or Thursday night in Orlando. And he'll be rooting for L.A. | The Memorial Skins Game, played the day before the Tournament started, will rank among the best non-official events we'll see all year. And how cool was it seeing host Jack Nicklaus take a couple of skins before Tiger won a chip-off by holing out? It was great TV and the players loved it. |
| Kenny Perry went to a particularly wide putting stance at Muirfield Village. A streaky putter at best, it seemed to work, at least in the final round, where he took just 24 putts. A big reason he went wide: The greens, many players were saying, were faster than Augusta National. That's saying something.
| It's widely known that if you want to play golf at Bethpage Black, it often means sleeping in your car in the parking lot to get a tee time. Still, these stories never get old, and the New York Times had two of them last week -- this piece by John Branch and a very cool photo blog by Barton Silverman. |
| In one hole last Thursday, James Driscoll wiped out all five birdies he had during the first round after making a sextuple-bogey on No. 13. For those of you scoring at home, that's a 10, which he got by hitting his first two tee balls out of bounds and another that resulted in a drop. |
Tweet of the week: Who's more dominant in their respective sport right now? Tiger, Roger Federer or Kobe Bryant? That was the debate SI.com's Damon Hack and I were having yesterday. We both agree it's Woods, but there's some interesting side questions. Weigh in here. |
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| The Forward Spin |
The applause meter will be redlined this week with the return of two of the game's larger-than-life figures in Phil Mickelson and John Daly, among golf's most popular players over the last decade-and-a-half. You know the folks at the St. Jude Classic couldn't be happier to have them.
Mickelson, of course, is returning from a brief hiatus in which he took time off to be with his wife, Amy, who is battling breast cancer. Word out of the Mickelson camp last week was that the doctors think they caught the cancer early, and Phil's decision to play seems to be another indicator of that. The "Pink Out" at the Colonial was an amazing sight and the Mickelsons were moved deeply by it. Don't be surprised if you see more pink this week, too.
Daly, on the other hand, hasn't played in a PGA TOUR event since last October's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Daly has had his share of issues on and off the course, but he seems to be doing well in both arenas these days. He's lost more than 40 pounds after having lap band surgery and the work he's put in with Rick Smith has produced some good results in Europe, including a tie for second at the BMW Italian Open.
Whether either player can win this week, who knows, but that's not what this week is about. It's about two of the game's biggest stars being back in the spotlight and for good and positive reasons. |
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PGATOUR.COM's Brian Wacker wrote Stock Up, Stock Down, A Quick 18 and Forward Spin. For more news and insight from him, follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/pgatour_brianw.
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