Verdi's Views: An older Tiger sees things differently now

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Tiger Woods wants to win The Presidents Cup this week ... then go home to spend Thanksgiving with his mother.

Bob Verdi, one of the most respected sports writers in the United States, is on site at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia filing stories for PGATOUR.COM to give fans an inside look at the competition, teams, players and captains, as well as the unique setting of the Sand Belt courses in Victoria.

Verdi joined the Chicago Tribune in 1967 covering hockey and baseball. He gradually moved his expertise and skills as a columnist into golf and wrote full-time for the newspaper through 1997. He joined Golf Digest and Golf World as a senior writer in 1997. Currently, Verdi is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks' front office, serving as team historian.

Verdi has covered all eight previous Presidents Cup, including those in Australia (1998), South Africa (2003) and Canada (2007). Verdi will rely on his decades-long relationships with many of the players -- as well as team Captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples -- to focus on the players and personalities of The Presidents Cup and present stories from the event in his individual and iconic style.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- He was young and impressionable in 1998. He was ranked No. 1 in the world. But Tiger Woods and his fellow Americans came to Royal Melbourne and got royally bent, folded and mutilated.

"I remember," Woods was saying Wednesday. "We weren't ready, for one thing. It was later than now, only a couple weeks before Christmas. A lot of us hadn't been playing any golf, the other team had been, and probably a lot of us didn't really want to be here. This time, it's different."

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Click here to access the archive page of Bob Verdi columns from Royal Melbourne.

So, in many ways, is Woods. He is digging himself out of a dark hole, physically and emotionally. He's smiling again, cracking jokes, walking freely and killing the ball. On a United States team that will engage the Internationals on Thursday in The Presidents Cup, the one-time child prodigy is a grizzled veteran who is doing a fair bit of mentoring this week.

"I enjoy this, I really do," Woods continues. "When I first started playing in these, the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, there was a whole generation of guys ahead of me. Guys who had been out here for 20 years. Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Mark O'Meara. I wasn't in any position to take a leadership role. I just listened. That was the best thing I could do, listen.

"Now, I'm in with a whole new crop of guys, and it's neat to get to know them and hang out with them. Guys who are in their 20s, just like I used to be when I came out, and Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson. I can take a different role now with more responsibility. I have fun, just like I always have, but from a slightly different position."

Apparently, Woods is not only listening in his dotage, but contributing to group discussions. On Tuesday, for instance, Capt. Couples tried out Woods and Dustin Johnson during drills for the opening foursomes. On Wednesday, however, Couples reunited Woods and Steve Stricker for the alternate shot format Thursday. The rest, as they say, is hysteria, because they will be pitted against Adam Scott-K.J. Choi. We all know who caddies for Adam Scott, and if you don't, Steve Williams' name will be on every front page of every newspaper in the city come morning.

But there's more to the story.

"Quite honestly," says John Cook, Couples' assistant captain, "we talked to Tiger about that possible pairing with Dustin and we came to the conclusion. Why mess with the success Tiger and Steve have had? That doesn't mean Dustin and Tiger won't be paired on Friday, for a different format, fourballs, where they each play every shot. But we got some feedback from Tiger. He's comfortable with Steve, and just as important, Steve his comfortable with him. Tiger gave us some feedback. Which is good. We're a team. This idea that he doesn't care about team events is just wrong. He's really passionate about this week."

Woods is also optimistic.

"Our guys have been playing, unlike 1998," he says. "And we've got a bunch of really good putters, which is nice to have on these greens."

In 1998, the Americans appeared to have a superior roster as they embarked on their first road game after two Presidents Cup victories on home soil. Behind Woods, O'Meara was ranked No. 2 in the world, David Duval No. 3, and Love 4. Meanwhile, the Internationals filled their roster with Frank Nobilo (No. 60) and Greg Turner (No. 69) as wildcards. Jack Nicklaus, the U.S. Captain, left his stars pretty much on their own. The Americans, for whatever reason, exhibited little chemistry, and by tournament's end, the Internationals romped, 20-1/2 to 11-1/2.

"Well, I am now the only captain to lose both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup," groused The Golden Bear. A few months later, he admitted he misjudged the collective pulse of this squadron. He realized, upon reflection, that the Americans had been here in body, but not in spirit. If you were scoring at home, Shigeki Maruyama (No. 43 in the world) ran the table with a 5-0 record, more points than Woods, O'Meara and Duval combined, although Tiger beat Greg Norman in singles. The Internationals' next triumph in this young series will be their second.

"But they're loaded again," Woods says. "And the crowd will be behind them, big time. We just have to keep them as quiet as we can. Only one way to do that."

Woods and Stricker were like ham and eggs again Wednesday. Woods looked loose before large galleries, armed with cameras and cellphones. He's a fan of the Oakland Raiders, who are in first place. But so are the New York Giants, supported by his new caddie, Joe LaCava. They playfully tangled on football matters, while Stricker rarely missed a shot, a positive sign. He's responding from a neck injury and this turf is hard. Stricker also warned that, soon, his Chicago Bears will play Tiger's Raiders.

"I'd like to see all the people who have been jumping off Tiger's bandwagon in a year from now," says Cook. "He's going to be great again. I'm sure of that. He's healthy again. And he's swinging the club now with that old confidence, fluid. Not thinking mechanics. Just letting it go. He's getting some of that swagger back. Watch out, folks."

But months ago, when Woods was ailing, he informed Couples of his wish.

"Freddie could have picked other guys," says Woods. "I'm grateful that he picked me. I appreciate the faith he showed in me. Now, if we can just go out and get a 'W' here. I'm excited. We're excited. Then I'll go home to California for Thanksgiving with my mom, Tida, and get ready for my tournament."

Just then, Dustin Johnson, practicing with his Thursday sidekick, Matt Kuchar, ripped a tee ball over yonder trees. Tiger Woods, the grizzled veteran, looked at Stricker, shook his head, and giggled. These kids now. They're such fun.